


Legend of the Otherworld

by Mateko



Category: Kung Fu Panda - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-09 03:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 82,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7784686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mateko/pseuds/Mateko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Legend of the otherworld tells the story of Po and The Five facing one of the hardest challenges. They'll need to train hard to fix the mistake made by their ancestors, to unlock new powers and to make new allies in order to protect their world and the entire universe. Takes place after the third movie (New Chi abilities).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A legend come true Prologue 1

On Earth, there is no heaven. However, there are pieces of it. If you would spare a moment, we will take a peek at a rather special place.

The rays of light fluttered and danced as they make their way to the land below. The blazing sun shined brightly upon this town, so comfortably nestled among such tall intimidating mountains, and built upon a fertile valley. The residents who moved between the buildings, from the smallest of mice to the heftiest of rhinos, seem to radiate with abundant energy. Everywhere we look, fragile cubs giggle and coo, mischievous little ones laugh and play, diligent grown-up animals shout and work, and the wise elderly share their many tales of life.

It's quite easy to see how this town earned its name, the Valley of Peace. As this flow of serenity flourishes around us, it really is difficult to imagine the destruction that took place not too long ago. And this destruction still affects the town to this day, but still the residents cope, taking on an image of peace.

Several months have passed since the defeat of the latest threat to the Valley of Peace. A spirit warrior by the name of Kai tore his way through the valley with his personal army of jade in search of power and vengeance. With the combined might and wit of the town's protectors, the menace was led away and defeated, and with him, an end was put to the spirit warrior's schemes.

However, his defeat did not immediately usher in peace for all. Ornate towers and humble stores were equally gifted with chipped stones and split wood. While they had been mostly spared, the renowned Jade Palace, the valley's greatest structure, was unrecognizable.

Polished jade shattered, aged wood was burnt, and forged metal was twisted. The innumerable scrolls and artifacts stored within were not spared either, leading to many centuries' worth of knowledge being lost.

The once historic building, which served as a temple, a school, and a home for the students and masters who resided within, was devastated.

When greeted with such a sight, the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five, and Grandmaster Shifu vowed to resurrect their home. Soon they were joined with craft workers of all walks of life who worked alongside each other and the masters to rebuild and restore the Jade Palace to its former glory. It truly was a moving sight to behold.

Within this time of hustle and bustle, and to the shock of all, Shifu spoke out his wish of retiring to his students. Whenever asked for a reason, the old Grandmaster would simply fold his ears back and say, "It was time." Nevertheless, Shifu, after retiring from teaching, often spent the day meditating.

As for Po, who was now in charge of training the Furious Five, training usually reached its conclusion in the afternoon. A trend followed to this day.

"And that's all you need to know for today," wearily stated the panda. "You're all free to go now." The teacher and students bowed respectfully to one another before Po quietly walked outside.

The Five exited the training hall at a slower pace and prepared to go on with their separate agendas for the remainder of the day. However, with troubled thoughts on her mind, Viper brushed against Tigress. The gesture caught the tiger's attention and slowed the pair even further.

"'Do you mind if we talk? It's been bothering me for a while now," Viper asked, worry evident in her voice.

This made the tiger's ears perk in interest at the sullen tone in the normally optimistic reptile. "Is something wrong?"

"It's about Po…" She sucked in a deep breath before continuing. "Did you see his face? He's so tired. I don't know how much more he can take of this lifestyle."

"He's just taking his duty seriously. It's normal to be tired with all the effort he's putting in," Tigress stated with a tinge of pride in her tone. She truly was proud of the Po's resolve and effort to become an acceptable teacher for his comrades. Though she would not admit it, the panda's ingenuity would change even the dullest of lessons into intriguing challenges.

"Don't you think it's too much?" Viper's tone hardened. "He has to teach, take care of his dads, and protect the valley! He's pushing himself so hard… One person can only handle so much."

Tigress mused over her statement for a moment. She admitted to herself that, over the months, the panda had done so much for the valley: battling Kai in a realm beyond their own, assisted the builders in every way possible, and even established a safe trading route from the pandas' mountainous village to the Valley of Peace. Whenever a memory popped up, Po was somehow intertwined. With a nod of acknowledgement, she replied, "You're right... but we should not interfere. He has to understand this alone."

"Why? You can help him." Viper motioned towards the feline with her tail.

Tigress's face contorted, her eyes widening. "Me? It's your idea. You should talk to him."

"We both know who the closest one is." A fangless smile followed soon after the sentence left Viper's lips.

Tigress rolled her eyes. "I'm just a friend, like you."

Viper giggled. "Yes, like everyone else here. Since Po obviously doesn't have a favorite. Good luck!" Viper whipped away before the tiger could answer. Not that she could, considering the panda was rarely ever discreet with his care, especially around the five.

'I guess I have no choice,' Tigress thought with a sigh.

Tigress wandered inside the hallway in search of Po when she nearly bumped into Master Shifu, still deep in thought of what Viper had said earlier.

"Forgive me, Master. I was lost in thought," she apologized and made an attempt at a quick retreat.

Shifu easily noticed something was troubling her and couldn't stop the question from exiting his mouth. "Is something wrong, Tigress?"

"No. I have to talk to Po about… things, but I can't find him." Her ears twitched uneasily at her slight deviation. Her bright orange eyes slid to the side to avoid his gaze.

"Whatever the problem is, you should tell me," Shifu stated reassuringly.

Finally, she relented. "I want to check on Po. It seems like he's getting more tired every day."

Shifu understood. "Do you think it's too early to let him teach?"

Tigress didn't know what to say. Despite knowing the events of previous months tolling on the panda, she couldn't say he was faltering in any of his responsibilities. "I don't know. If he wants to do his duties, who am I to stop him?"

"Tigress… I can teach again if Po is not able to do so." Shifu affirmed. "I understand the increasing pressure he's been bearing for far too long, but I cannot make decisions for him. Asking for help is often a hard lesson to remember."

Shifu left Tigress after that.

Continuing her search for Po, she found her paws carrying her to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. With steps as quiet as a whisper, she was just able to stop a chuckle at the sight in front of her.

She moved closer and asked, "Po, what are you doing?"

"Eh, uh, wha…?" Po mumbled before shifting around. "N-Nothing! Why are you even asking?" he added with an awkward noise.

Tigress came close enough to see that Po was just rousing himself from his nap against the tree with a few slobbered peaches in his mouth. She had to try rather hard to smother her smile.

"Everyone knows that you come here only for eating… and stress-relieving," Tigress added without mentioning both activities were basically one and the same.

"What? Everyone?!" he all but yelled. "But only Shifu saw me…" His words trailed off as embarrassment started to sink in.

"It's not so hard to imagine." Tigress sat herself next to him.

Po felt the awkward silence and made an attempt at alleviating it. He tapped his claws together and began to speak, drawing out his mutterings. "So, umm—–"

"I've wanted to ask you something," she interrupted. A serious glint entered her green eyes.

"Uh, sure?" Po's head tilted at the statement, wondering what the feline could want.

"Do you want to have more time for yourself?"

"I-I don't understand… What do you mean?" As his head tilted further, it became obvious he didn't expect a question like that.

"In the past we've always had something to do, and now, when nobody is attacking the valley, you barely have time for yourself when you take into account all of your responsibilities," Tigress stated, her gaze locked on Po the entire time. "Is that fair?"

A twitch barely crossed Po's features before it faded, but Tigress' eyes caught the movement. She, too, had to smother her own burning ire at the subject. During the months rebuilding the Valley of Peace, incidents of raiding had increased dramatically. Apparently, plenty of bandits got the notion of thinking that the protectors of the valley were not doing their jobs right, and were overly eager to capitalize on the opportunity. They were slowly but surely realizing just how wrong they were.

"I'm not bothered. I'm happy to help the people I love, like you." Po smiled, but even so, the feline's keen eyes could pick out the bags under his eyes that weren't present before. The black patches of fur around Po's eyes were even darker than usual. Anyone else besides the Five and Shifu probably would not be able to notice, but Tigress knew Po. His appearance looked miserable.

"I knew you would say that," Tigress muttered. Her tail lashed behind her as her voice rose, growing harsher until the end. "You can't care only about the others. You can't help others if you don't take care of yourself!" Finally, Po would notice Tigress was worried about his health.

"I'm fine, Tigress! I was born ready to do this!" His voice rose, trying his best to appear fine. Whether trying to reassure her or himself even he didn't know.

"Po…" She didn't need to say more while she watched Po deflate before her.

"I… you… I mean..." He trembled slightly before doing something that surprised even himself. He erupted. "YES, OKAY! MAYBE I AM DOING TOO MUCH!" His shouts echoed and faded before he continued on. "A lot of people count on me and… I don't want to let them down… I won't let them down." His stressed pitch simpered down into a tense whisper.

Knowing she could do little to advance the conversation or alleviate her friend's worries, Tigress remembered her earlier talk with Shifu. "Shifu told me he can teach again," revealed Tigress as she moved to stand over the downtrodden panda. Maybe the thought of shifting teachers would help him.

"R-REALLY?! W-W-Why?" Po cried out, confusion and panic clear in his jade eyes. "I don't understand!"

"You should talk to him now." Task finished, the feline slowly walked away.

In another part of the temple grounds, Shifu was meditating inside his room. The soft mantra whispered from his mouth halted when a familiar voice from nowhere called out to him.

"Shifu…" The voice echoed inside the little room he was in. "Can you hear me?"

The red panda became startled when the voice became clearer. But, a realization struck him. 'I recognize this voice!' He cleared his throat, then responded to the mysterious voice. "Master Oogway, is that you?" he asked, hoping for an answer.

"It's been a while… my friend." His voice seemed to ring out everywhere around him.

"It's such an honor to see, I mean, talk to you again." Shifu was a little disoriented to talk with someone he could not see. "Wait... Is something dangerous coming?" He realized that every time Oogway showed up, it was due to important news.

Oogway chuckled from that sentence, trying to calm his old friend. "There is no need to worry… for now."

"I don't think you came just to see me, Master."

"I am always delighted to speak with my friend, and I am always willing to help in any way I can." Compassion flowed throughout Oogway's words. "Do you remember your lessons about the Otherworld?"

"Yes, I do." Shifu paused, then raised his paws hesitantly. "Wait… Was it not a legend?" He was worried now. The red panda appeared shaken. "Something like that can't possibly happen!"

"With time, ancient histories become legends… But that does not mean every single grain of truth is necessarily lost," replied the wise tortoise.

"Then what should I do? Please give me some advice, Master." Shifu bowed deeply.

"Forgive me, Shifu. This is all that I can do. I have broken the rules too many times… yet I know you and your students can do this." The tortoise's voice grew fainter throughout the sentence, making fear spike through Shifu.

'He's going to leave again.' Shifu decided to do what he could to prevent Oogway's departure. "Master, please don't go! I know barely anything about this! I need your help! Alone, I'll be useless!"

"I believe in you. You'll find the answers sooner than you expect." Before the voice disappeared, something soft brushed against the red panda's cheek. As he reached out, a small pink petal landed delicately in his paw.

Without a moment to spare, Po slammed the door open and rushed inside Shifu's room. He seemed worried about something.

"Shifu!" Po shouted when he came inside.

"Why did you almost break the door? What's wrong?" replied Shifu irritably.

"I was calling you from the outside and you didn't answer—"

Shifu immediately became lost in thought while the panda spoke. 'Strange. I didn't hear anything.'

"So I decided to come in worried that something bad happened to you…" Po muttered.

Shifu resisted the urge to facepalm. Po really did tend to make him at a loss for words. "What can happen to me in the middle of the Jade Palace? Everything is fine, for now."

"I don't know, I just…" Po inhaled deeply when he remembered why he was there. "Shifu, I have to tell you something important!"

"This is not the time for that," he interrupted. "Gather everyone at the scroll room. I'll meet you there." The red panda then walked away.

'Does he want to make me say to everyone I want to quit from teaching?' Po thought. Nevertheless, Po did as Shifu asked. Everyone seemed confused by the unusual call when he did.

"What's the problem?" Mantis asked from his perch atop Monkey.

"Did Po quit from teaching?" the simian added.

Mantis' tone grew worried. "Damn it! I can't lose that bet."

"What?! What bet!?" interjected Viper, upset to hear something like that.

"Mantis, it's not that hard to keep your mouth shut," Monkey scolded.

"Oops, my mouth moved on its own."

"Enough! Now, I need your help." Shifu commanded their attention with his tone. "Oogway used to keep here a lot of secrets… Some of them are hidden from me, too. What I want to ask you is to unleash your chi through the entire room."

"It's an odd request," Tigress commented, attempting to find an explanation. "Will doing this generate a reaction?"

Shifu nodded. "That is what I'm hoping for."

The six of them did what Shifu requested. Between the huge piles of scrolls, one of them started to shine. Crane flew towards it, grabbed it, and dropped it in Shifu's hands.

"Interesting," Shifu exclaimed. Opening the scroll to a blank page, he turned the hidden contents of the scroll visible with his own Chi. "Normally, this scroll is blank."

Po couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of hidden Kung Fu lore. "This is so cool! Can I touch it?! Read it?! Smell it?!"

"Why is this scroll so important to you?" Tigress questioned her master, worried about the content.

"We will find out soon." Shifu turned and began to read the scroll aloud: "'A long time ago, people with great ambitions tried to go beyond the limits imposed from the natural order itself. They nearly succeeded, but with a terrible price. The balance of the whole universe cracked, and not only was our world going to be destroyed, but every single other world within the universe would perish as well.

"'In their haste to find a way to fix their mistakes, they learnt that their souls were able to fix almost every distortion and anomaly, but the price were the lives of some brave heroes from everywhere within time and space.'"

Po, amazed from that story, whispered, "Wow… How did this happen? I mean, it seems like something really important, so why hide it?"

Shifu continued to read. "'The heroes sacrificed themselves to block the Void from breaking—-'"

Confused, Mantis asked, "What's the Void?"

"The Void should be the space where the demons live. It is the borderland of all worlds," Tigress explained quickly.

"'—but unfortunately not everything was fixed. Some portals will soon open between this world and another. An entire world filled with a lone sentient species called humans, and this one will have demons invading from the Void to take advantage of the situation. We must take caution. Those who travel across the universe are never unaffected as special and unique abilities unlock within them. You have to protect them. When this happens, I won't be with you anymore.'"

"Perfect. Now we know everything about the end of the world but we don't know when and how!" Mantis commented sarcastically.

"Is that everything? I feel like it's incomplete. What about these humans the scroll talks about? What are they?" Viper asked questions none of them could answer yet.

Skimming through the text, Shifu found a diagram sketched inside the scroll. The diagram itself was small, but drawn with incredible care. Its familiar shape jumped out at the old master when he made the discovery. "There is a hidden room inside the training hall?!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"More secrets to find out! This is so awesome!" Po cried out before sprinting out of sight towards the training hall.

Everyone else followed Po towards the training room. Immediately, the large panda began looking and running throughout the entire room, trying to find the hidden door. He looked everywhere, but he couldn't find anything.

"Po, you will not find anything searching like that," Shifu sighed. "You must use your chi," he reminded the overly-eager pupil. The assembled masters then fanned out in their search.

Before long, Mantis called from the other side of the room to get everyone's attention. "I think I found something here!"

"This is a trapdoor!" Viper exclaimed excitedly. "I'll grab a lantern!" A flick of her body sent her away. She quickly returned with said lantern already lit and curled around her tail.

"These stairs will lead us to the secret room. Give me the lantern, I'll light the way." Shifu picked up the lantern and went forward. The somewhat cramped stairway made the taller masters hunch down to make their way.

"I hate stairs…" Po sighed. "Why are the coolest things always related to stairs?!"

"Excuse me, but what things are related to stairs?" Crane asked curiously.

"Well, think about it; the huge stairs between the Jade Palace and the rest of the village... The staircase in the Tower of Flame... You don't know how lucky you are that you can fly! It's got to be the most comfortable thing in the world!"

They arrived at the end of the hallway only to find a small empty room full of dust. The only things inside were a mirror propped against a wall and a scroll beside it. The emptiness of what was supposedly an important room made most of the masters tense in preparation of a trap… the key word being "most."

As soon as Po saw the mirror, he picked it up and inspected it.

"Po, what are you doing?! Put it down!" Tigress scolded, chastising him for touching everything without thinking first.

"It's just a normal mirror, Tigress! There's nothing special about it." He swiped off some dust from it and tossed it to Monkey obliviously, dislodging the rest of the dust right into the simian's nose.

"Hey! Watch where you put that thing!" Monkey snapped, clutching the mirror and doing his best to hold back a sneeze.

Shifu picked up the second scroll and started to read this one too. "'Shifu, I hid this mirror within this secret room because it's extremely important—-'"

When Po heard these words, he finally understood how precious it was even if he didn't know for what purpose. With its reflective gleam and dull frame, it truly looked like any other mirror. The mirror was then reexamined with a more critical eye while Shifu continued to read:

"'—–It will help the falling humans and lead them to you. When the time comes, inject your chi inside of it.'"

"When will the right moment be?!" Mantis asked, stressed. "Why can't anybody clearly say when something important is going to happen?! We can't predict how and when!"

"When the time comes," Shifu voiced calmly as he motioned Monkey for the mirror. "I'll continue to meditate with the mirror close by. When I sense anything, we'll have to be prepared."

Heading for the exit of the room, the older master was followed closely by Po, who seemed to be finally ready to tell Shifu the truth. However, he was hesitant, shown by the wringing of his paws as he worried over what his master's reaction would be. "Shifu, I need to tell you something about the teacher stuff..."

"Oh… yes. About that, Po, you will be relieved of your teaching duties."

"I can't—–" Po was about to speak, then realized he just heard the same thing he was about to announce, causing his heart to skip a beat. "What? I mean, why?"

"I know you are doing rather well, but right now this situation is far more important. All of you get some sleep and restore your energy. If you must train, do so with moderation." After that, Shifu left that room and, most likely, would return to his meditation.

"Wait… This means I lost the bet?!" Monkey screamed.

Mantis excitedly exclaimed, "Po didn't quit, so I won! You owe me some yuan!"

"I can't believe it… I was so sure about that," he dejectedly sighed while they all made their way back upstairs.


	2. Tigress' dilemma Prologue 2

After Shifu's warning, the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five spent several days training inside the training hall for the designated day the humans would come to through the mirror. They didn't want to be too far from the Jade Palace just in case something was going to happen, spending most of their time talking to each other when taking a break from their daily training.

"Guys I was wondering…" Po mumbled, "...what do you think they look like?" His tone increased in volume when he finished his question. He wanted to know. "Try to paint more of a picture. What color is their fur or skin or eyes? Blue? Peach? RAINBOW?"

Mantis simply replied, "I want to see something different. You know… Some aliens."

"Ferocious demons or majestic giants!" Monkey added.

"The scroll says that these humans have some incredible powers… So, I was thinking about something huge," Crane stated.

"Yeah! Maybe they are already here watching us from afar," teased Monkey, trying to scare them.

"MONKEY! YOU'RE RIGHT!" Po shouted. "WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYES OPEN!" He opened his eyes wider with his paws. He swiveled around in a circle, looking around as if the strange beings might appear right in front of him.

"Po… Without our Chi, they can't come here," Tigress explained as calmly as she could manage.

"That's what they want to make us believe!" Po cried out. He continued to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The panda looked more silly than he did cautious.

"Po, we were training for that reason," Viper replied kindly, but her tone became worried. "Did you forget?"

The panda gave up, disappointed that the Five were being too serious to catch his joke. He tried to make them smile, but they thought he was serious. "No… I don't." He sighed.

\---------------------------

Elsewhere, Shifu's ears twitched several times. He was unable to find balance in meditation, as if he couldn't find peace. His eyes snapped open. The red panda felt something new, something he never sensed before. It was a weird sensation.... One that he couldn't tell if it was bad or good. He abruptly came to his feet and went outside to gather his students.

"It's time," Shifu said as soon as he entered the training hall.

Tigress nodded. "I'll go get the mirror." She entered and exited from that secret passage as fast as she could, knowing how important it is. The feline handed over the mirror to her old master, but no one dared to step too close in case something dangerous might happen. 

The Five shared a wary glance as Shifu set the mirror in the middle of the room. Shifu hesitated for only a moment before turning to instruct them in the only way he knew how. "Now, as we all learned to give Chi to someone else. Focus on the mirror and think of it as a wounded person you need to heal."

"Yes, master," they replied.

Six golden rays met at the very center of the mirror. It started to float when the warriors paused to give more Chi. It suddenly turned normal, like something went wrong, and fell. The red panda caught it, hoping nothing bad happened. The Five and the Dragon Warrior looked at each other, confused about what precisely had happened. Po turned around, trying to spot any difference inside the room, but everything seemed normal as it always was. Shifu checked inside the mirror, but it looked the same as before. With a frown, he lowered it gently.

"Did it work?" Viper questioned out of confusion. She was expecting a better reaction from it.

Before the serpent could receive an answer, the ground began to shake. Everyone stood still and waited. Tigress bent low, but otherwise kept her balance perfectly. Po stumbled, falling down with a shout, and Monkey and Crane grabbed the closest thing next to them to not end up like the panda. Viper and Mantis somehow didn't need anything; they just waited until it passed. Twenty seconds felt like an eternity for them.

"What... just happened…?" Po asked, frightened. He thought they did something they shouldn't have done.

"So what now?" Mantis questioned. They couldn’t just stand there and wait for something else to happen.

Tigress rubbed her chin. "I can't tell if there is a correct way to do this, but something definitely happened. The earthquake was the proof we needed."

Po pointed at the mirror. "Then we should watch it and wait. The humans we talked about must come out of it."

Crane narrowed his eyes while approaching it. "Isn't it too small?" It would be too small to even accommodate the average animal size.

Monkey saw the opportunity for a joke. "Crane's right! We talked about giants and majestic creatures!" He giggled. "There's no way they would be able to use that tiny piece of glass!"

Shifu’s eyes widened, finding the answer in that terrible pun. "He's right."

Monkey’s own eyes widened. He couldn't believe Shifu actually agreed with him. "Who? Me?"

Crane raised a brow. "I don't think Monkey actually meant―"

"It doesn't matter," the red panda cut in. "You have to search all over the village to find them."

"That means we have to split up, right?" Po asked, although he knew the answer.

"I'm sorry Po, but I believe the mirror only guided them to find us. That means they may open some sort of portal in the middle of the city. Not knowing their forms will bring chaos and panic among the citizens," he explained, beating his staff on the ground. "Now go before things get worse."

They bowed and ran outside, but before they could leap away, Mantis held out his pinchers wide. "WAIT!" Mantis shouted before the group could divide. Everyone skidded to a stop right on the edge of the thousand steps. "I-I don't know where should I look, or what they look like. How am I supposed to find them?!"

Viper reassured him with, "Anything you find odd or out-of-place, go and check it out. That's more or less what we will do now."

"Bring them back to the palace once you find them." Tigress then specified, "At any cost."

They all nodded and parted ways in the village as soon as they raced down the countless stairs dividing the Jade Palace from the village.

\------------------------------------

'I have no idea where should I start...' Po winced. He's been walking around the village like he usually does when he has to check on his dads. There was no need to scare any of the villagers if none of the humans appeared yet.

"Good morning, Dragon Warrior!" A pig greeted him.

He shyly waved his paw and walked past. 'If I were a creature who doesn't belong here, where would I be?' he thought to himself, looking around. But everything seemed normal, like every other day.

Po stopped in front of his father's restaurant. His stomach growled. 'Man… We skipped breakfast because of what Shifu told us.' He turned around, searching for his friends. 'I-I'll eat something, say hi to my dads and then get back to my mission. The perfect plan.'

"Hey, son! Glad you're here!" Li Shan proclaimed while handing over some dishes to the customers.

Po's not used to see his biological father working here yet. When he told Li Shan how he belonged in the Valley of Peace after defeating Kai, his dad simply smiled, packed his stuff and declared, "Alright, time to move in!" He got used to his new life under Mr. Ping as a waiter pretty quickly.

"Po! You finally came!" Said Ping joyfully, dragging him inside.

"What…" He didn't remember being expected to stop by here. The panda warrior frowned, looking around for some clues.

Ping joyfully tapped his wing feathers together. As soon as he saw his son, he became as bumbly as ever while he entered with him. He began to ramble, preambling with, "So, as I wrote inside the message I sent to you this morning..."

Po felt uncomfortable. He didn’t know what he was talking about, but he let his dad lead him around the shop regardless. Maybe they wouldn’t see through his cluelessness. At least he hoped not, anyways.

Ping finished dragging Po inside and stepped aside. He stretched his wings wide, gesturing to the table in a proud manner. He finally finished his statement with, "...Li and I made new soups!" On the table were three bowls, and they all contained noodle soups. 

Li entered the kitchen after finishing up delivering meals, looking as unsurprised as Ping to see him stop by. "Lotus! Are you ready to taste something great?!" he shouted, excited and smiling.

Po understood how lucky he was and decided to hide the fact that he didn't know anything. "How does this work? Can I eat them all?"

"What?! You want them all?!" the goose shouted, anxious. "I thought you already ate something on the way here, like always," he added, checking his stomach.

"Did you put yourself on a diet?" asked an older giant panda. "We wanted a meal together, like a family!" He sounded so happy to say these words.

"Really? This is a great idea!" Po replied. He sat to the table waiting for them.

Ping seemed confused. He's sure that he wrote it inside the message, and suspiciously asked, "Po did you actually read it?"

Realizing he'd used the wrong words, Po stumbled to come up with a believable lie before his adoptive father found out the truth, "Yes! Of course! You didn't mention anything about them!"

Before Ping could open his beak to correct his son, Li stepped in to distract him. It didn't matter if Po actually read the note or not; the fact he actually came to the restaurant was more important. "I remember that too, Ping. Let's just eat or the soups will turn cold!" He sat to the table next to his son.

The older panda moved to pick one of the soups, but Ping quickly slapped his paw with a chopstick. "Did you forget?!" he snapped, adding with slight irritation, "Po has to choose what kind of soup he wants!"

"I'm sorry," he winced, cuddling his wounded paw.

"These three soups have new recipes and ingredients! Choose one and tell me what you think about it!" The goose moved them all in front of him. The steam rolling off them was mouthwatering.

They all looked delicious. "Aww… I don't know what to choose! They are all tempting," he murmured, starting to drool. The Panda stared at them for five minutes in absolute silence. He couldn't choose one. They all smelled too good. 

Ping couldn't handle it anymore. "Po! The soups are getting cold! Pick one already!" he urged.

"Ok! Ok! I'll pick the second one!" As soon as he picked it, his dads ate the others.

"I think I should have added some more salt." Ping commented on the soup he chose.

Li contested, "This one is good!" He moved his eyes to Po. "What about yours?"

The panda nodded happily. "It's awesome!" Eagerly, he slurped up more, but after a second he tasted something odd. "What's the new ingredient you mentioned before?" he asked. Afterwards he realized he needed an excuse. "You know… I would be happy to cook it on my own."

"Oh, I called it―wait for it―" Ping paused for dramatic effect, then threw his wings up. "'The Firework!’"

"The… Firework?" His son repeated, confused, but his stomach already understood why. It was gurgling dangerously.

"Yeah! Inspired to your epic victory against Shen and his mortal weapon!" he stated proudly. "Everyone will taste the flavor of that historical fight!"

"Did you feel different?" asked Li, feeling a bit worried about it. He knew what Ping put in the soup he chose, he was relieved that his son somehow didn't feel bad after eating it by the looks of things.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Something's wrong?" Po questioned back.

Ping seemed irritated about Li's comment. "What do you mean with that?! I'm a great chef! This is an insult!"

"No no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that! I love your soups! But that one is—"

"Do you think I put too many spices inside of it?! Do you think I can't measure how much I should put inside?!"

"This is your first time making this recipe! Nobody can make it perfect at the first try!"

Po's stomach finally warned his brain. The gurgling only got worse, and he could feel his stomach roll uncomfortably. He felt bad, sweaty and hotter. "I need water! Where is it?!" he begged, shooting out of his seat.

"Outside in the back! I filled a bucket thinking about this ending." Li pointed to the exit on the opposite side. He watched while his son immediately darted for the back way.

"You should have told me! I won't make it anymore! You don't trust me at all!" Ping turned his back to him, offended.

"No! Trust me! That soup is awesome! Just needs to be… less spicy," Li appeased, shrugging.

"Well… If you really think that of my soup, you'll have to help me find the right amount—"

"Sounds good to me!" he cut in, crossing his arms. He was satisfied with those terms.

"—by testing every single one of them."

Li gulped, already tasting the flavor of defeat on his lips. "Ugh… fine."

Po rushed outside, found the bucket and dunked his full head inside, gulping as fast as he could. That soup was really hot; his mouth was on fire. By the time the bucket was empty, the burn was more manageable. 'That was crazy,' he thought with an audible groan. The panda rubbed his poor stomach. 'I should have asked before. I could have avoided it.'

He took a second, waiting until the tingling on his tongue was almost gone, before looking back towards the door of the shop. However, something was changing. It was like the space was growing brighter. Where was the light coming from? Then, he suddenly looked down at himself.

Po's body began to glow with golden lights, until they all gathered in one precise spot of his body: his stomach. A uncontrollable yellow ray shot out from him, traveled a bit further and stopped. Reality bent right in front of his eyes; whatever was happening wasn't normal. His Chi opened a portal, and something unidentifiable came out of it, landing on the ground. Po stopped glowing and the portal quickly disappeared, like nothing ever happened.

The only thing left was… a thing. Po kneeled down, curious to learn more. He quickly noticed whatever that thing was, it was breathing. It was alive. 'This must be a human!' He thought, suddenly excited. "Hey, wake up! Are you alright?" He shook him, but the human didn't answer.

"Po! Is everything alright?" Mr. Ping asked from the inside of the noodles shop. "I heard a weird sound. Did you fall again on my food?"

"No dad! Everything's fine here!" he hurried an answer. 'I-I need to hide it somewhere!' He panicked looking around. There were countless boxes, from the tiniest ones to gigantic barrels, Po picked up the biggest box to shove the human inside.

"What are you doing with my supplies?" Ping said when he stepped outside. "I thought that soup wasn't good enough for you two," he muttered crossly. His cooking skills were underappreciated in this family.

"What? N-No! It's awesome! I loved it! That's why I thought about... cooking!" he said, floundering for excuses, and when finally finding one his voice rose in pitch, as if it would back up his claims through sheer volume alone. "You know… cooking it to everyone else in the Palace!" He nodded confidently. "That's why I was grabbing this VERY SPECIFIC box here with everything I need!" He walked past his father and picked up the container.

Mr. Ping's face changed instantly from grumpiness to happiness. "Will you really do that for your old father? I'm so moved to hear that! At least one of you still believes in me!" He cried some tears of joy, and Po smiled forcefully, unable to stop glancing towards the crate with the human inside. "What are you doing here?! Move! Go back to the Palace! Show them how good my soup is!" He pushed him away with the crate.

Spurred on by his dad, Po rushed off towards the Palace with the crate in tow.

\-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Tigress and Viper were looking deeper in the village, walking down the streets. They checked every section of the village, but seemed like nothing weird happened. "Should we head back?" Viper said tiredly. "Maybe Shifu has an idea, because there's nothing here..."

Tigress couldn't stop thinking about the conversation they had before everything started. Going on a walk like this gave her more time to think things through. Her curiosity was buzzing. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what's is it?" Viper kindly replied.

Tigress paused completely, crossing her broad arms. She turned towards her comrade with a piercing gaze. Her tone was dark. "Viper, are you hiding something from me?"

Viper stopped slithering. She didn't expect that question. Her head lulled to the side, her serpentine body swaying with the momentum. "H-Hiding? I-I don't know what you mean..." Her words came out stuttered. Her hair accessories billowed slightly with the breeze of the valley.

"You acted... weird, when you talked about Po with me. Is there something I should know?"

"You're asking it to the wrong person, Tigress," the serpent added shyly.

"’The wrong person?’ What does that even mean? How many people know this secret?!" Tigress shouted, becoming irritated.

Viper felt increasingly uncomfortable. Her body wavered back and forth, until finally she turned around. "I'm sorry Tigress, but I can't help you!" the serpent suddenly cried out. "I hope you'll forgive me!" Before Tigress could say anything else, Viper slithered away.

"Wait, Viper! Where are you going?!" Tigress tried to call her back, but she headed further into the village. She could have chased her down without any problems, but something stopped her from doing so. "What's wrong with her?" she commented, letting out a loud sigh through her sharp teeth.

Ignoring the fact that each one of the furious five had a different area to explore, Tigress headed outside the city towards the bamboo forest. She instinctively headed there. It was the best place to be alone, to think better, to understand what her friend was hiding.

\-----------------------------------------

Viper slithered faster and faster, getting as much ground as possible between herself and the tiger before checking to see if Tigress was actually chasing her. She wasn't. She looked down, regretting what happened already. 'I should have acted differently,' she thought. 'I should go back and apologize.'

But her body didn't move. If she really wanted to make amends for her behavior, the least Viper could do is to tell her the truth. But it was impossible for her to. 'I really wish I could, but it's for your own good.'

The serpent changed color from her usual lime green scales with burgundy spotting. She turned completely yellow. Her chi activated on its own accord, causing light to project out of her body. A portal opened. A creature fell out of it.

It happened in the merchant's area: the worst place it could have happened. Plenty of people were walking by, talking and shopping easily in the beautiful day. The sun illuminated the whole district. But the light coming from Viper's Chi was even more blinding. They shielded their eyes, ears being drawn back and paws, hooves, and any appendages in between were raised to block it. When the light died down, everyone turned to her and the weird figure on the ground. The crowd flocked around them, trying to discern what was going on.

"Oh gosh, what's that animal? I've never seen something like that!" a pig commented.

"Me neither, and I've traveled a lot," a sheep added.

One after another, more and more people gathered around the strange creature. Viper had to do something, and fast. "Please, there's nothing to see here. This poor animal just fainted!" she excused as she shoved the onlookers back. "Have you never seen, uh―" She stared at it, trying to think of the closest animal it could have resembled― "Monkey?"

She regretted making such a flimsy excuse. That's the second time in a row; it was a new record for her. 'They will NEVER believe this.'

"Oh… Some particular monkey species huh?" the sheep commented. "Yeah, I guess it is. I've seen plenty of unique monkeys..."

Viper blinked incredulously. She didn’t think that would work. But she went along with this new story. "That's right! Now please go back to what you all were doing. I'll take care of this!" She wrapped around the being and slithered as fast as she could back to the Palace.

\---------------------------------------

Tigress walked down the path to the bamboo forest for no apparent reason but to think. That is, until she was forced to stop in front of a big rock blocking the way. She smirked, drawing her fist back, before easily destroying it with a single punch. She flexed her digits. ‘Not even a scratch.’ 

With no more distractions in the way, she proceeded onwards through the downtrodden path. She stared down at her unscathed paw and began to think about everything that happened in the last few days. 'Viper noticed something I didn't,' she mused, perplexed. It never happened before. 'What could it be? Why couldn't she say it openly? I don't understand...'

"Somebody help me!" a voice echoed from deeper in the forest. It didn’t sound far from where she was. She forgot all about her current task and ran there on all fours.

"Give me your money and I'll let you live to see another day!" hissed a crocodile, threatening a poor goat with a knife. The goat trembled in front of the crocodile. He was defenseless.

"Leave him alone, Fung!" Tigress landed in between them, shielding the goat with her body. She struck a defensive position out of habit more than necessity. "Run away from here! I'll deal with these guys!" 

The goat listened to her and escaped. The sound of his hooves grew less and less audible before disappearing from hearing range.

"Tigress!" He flinched backwards instinctively, as if he knew five more warriors were about to appear. When no one else appeared, though, he straightened up again. "Are you alone?" Fung asked, getting some courage back.

"Don't worry Fung. I can fight your whole gang even alone!" she growled back at him. Her fists clenched. She was ready.

"I didn't know you were so arrogant," the croc yelled. "I'm extremely curious to find out if you really can! Attack!"

Four crocodiles surrounded Tigress, but numbers don't matter when fighting against a kung fu master. Their moves were predictable and slow. She had no problems handling them. In no time at all, all four crocodiles laid on the ground, occasionally letting out a groan. 

Tigress turned to face Fung again. "I highly recommend you give up. I don't want to hurt anyone," she claimed.

Fung was too prideful to do that; not without trying the plan he came up with. The crocodile jeered at her and encouraged his ally to try again. He wanted to keep her occupied so he could find a blind spot in her defenses for his knife. The croc watched her movements, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Tigress’s eyes were glued to him. She knew he had some dirty trick prepared specifically for her, and she was right. The feline allowed him to find what he believed to be a blind spot to get him close on purpose. Her arm raised, exposing her side. 

Fung’s eyes flashed. “THERE!” He lunged forward with his knife towards her vulnerable side. He struck quickly, causing a slight gust of wind to form.

As smooth as water, she swayed her body out of the way. Her limber body then twisted around his form and caught his snout with a right hook. She punched him away, causing his knife to fly out of his hand. She had successfully disarmed him.

The tiger marched forward threateningly. Step after step brought her closer to them. They had better run. 

"Ok, OK! We surrender!" The leader shouted, raising his claws; his friends did the same. "We are no match for you! But don't get cocky just because I said that..."

Tigress glared at him; she never liked his humor. But she would let them go with a warning. "Then I'll take my leave," she hissed, giving them a view her back.

In that moment, Fung waved his claw, reminiscent of a signal. A bush moved and Gahri appeared from it, holding a bow and ready to fire at Tigress.

FWIP!

She quickly spun around, hearing the arrow coming. ‘What?!’ Her paws flew up instinctively. She was not fast enough to dodge it. Her reaction time had been too slow. 

But something happened. It was as if time slowed, and Tigress caught a glimpse of the crocodiles’ shocked faces. Then, her vision was blocked by an object appearing out of thin air.

"Huh?! What's going on?!" Fung exclaimed. He took a step back, uttering a sound of dismay.

A stranger had appeared in front of Tigress, using his own body as a shield. She wildly flicked her gaze to the left to see a portal closing. A human had emerged from it and protected her.

"Are you alright?" the creature asked with concern in his voice. He turned to her, emitting a grimace.

"Me?!" she cried out. "What about you?!" The arrow had pierced his left arm. Blood was pouring out, trailing down his hand and then dripping to the ground. "You're the injured one!"

"What? This?" He wanted to act tough for some reason, but Tigress knew how much an arrow hurt; she'd dealt with enough injuries of her own while training. "It's nothi..." Something was off. He suddenly teetered, then fell onto the ground, losing consciousness. Her eyes widened when she saw some weird green substance on the arrowhead. 

"It's poison!" she gasped, reaching for him. A morbid realization hit her that the arrow was meant for her. It made the human’s sacrifice even more impacting. She had to get him medical attention, and quickly.

"I don't know what's going on, but let's take this opportunity to run away, guys!" Fung shouted to his gang and retreated to the forest.

Tigress didn't even care if they escaped. Her priorities lied with the wounded stranger. 'Please don't die.' She put him on her back, crouching low, and ran back to the Palace as fast as her legs could manage. 'Hang in there. We'll save you!'


	3. Six new characters Prologue End

Mantis, Crane, and Monkey looked around the areas outside the city, such as the forest and the mountains. As expected, they didn't find anything special. Common folk didn't frequent those kinds of places. It would have been good to find the humans in there, but it would have been too convenient for them and the masters knew that.

"This isn't bringing us anywhere..." Mantis muttered, tired after searching for the last hour. "There's nothing here."

Crane agreed. "We don't even know if that earthquake was actually a sign."

Monkey knew how they felt: frustrated to not being able to do any progress. He wanted to cheer them up somehow, and he trusted his abilities as a comedian to lighten the mood. There were plenty of new jokes and puns he'd thought of. So, he offered them one.

Mantis rolled his eyes after yet another joke from Monkey. Crane cringed as well, trying to fake his laugh, but he was not believable.

"Tough crowd, huh?" Monkey commented. "What about this one instead? It's about—"

"Uh… I think I should check the mountains again, you know? I have to be sure. If one of them is here, it may be a problem," Crane mumbled shyly.

"Oh, okay," Monkey nodded. "Let's go together, don't go alone." He couldn't help them feel better if Crane was going to search on his own.

"No, no!" Crane quickly opposed, raising some suspicion. The simian frowned, confused. Mantis frowned at the bird for being obvious. "I'll be fast! Stay with Mantis. Don't worry about me."

Monkey couldn't reply to that fast enough. Crane flew off towards the mountains. Mantis glared at him, knowing the real reason why he left. "Can I ask you something?" Monkey's tone suddenly turned serious.

Mantis froze, scared that he may have caught wind of their real intentions. "What is it?" He did his best to maintain his composure against this new threat.

"It's about my puns..." Monkey mused. The simian averted his gaze and scratched his knuckle idly. He was definitely bothered by their behavior.

'Here we go...' Mantis sighed, trying to come up with a plan quickly. If only Crane hadn’t left him to his own devices, because he was floundering to come up with an excuse. 'Now what should I do?! Why am I dealing with this problem alone?!'

"You guys don't laugh anymore, unless it's a very good one," Monkey mumbled as he toyed with his fingers idly.

Mantis sighed, lowering his pincers. He had to calm his comrade down. "Listen, Monkey… You shouldn't—"

"Is it because you're used to my hilarious comedy?" Monkey interjected, smiling. "I mean… That's the only possible explanation!"

Mantis blinked, surprised. The bug’s eyes darted around without moving his head. Then, it struck him. This was the perfect excuse he had been waiting for. He decided to play along. "...So you noticed in the end."

"I knew it!" Monkey grinned, doing a fist pump. He had nailed it. "It's time to do even better!" Without another warning, he turned around and ran off, leaping through the thick trees.

"Huh?! Where are you going?!" the bug shouted, chasing after him.

"I'm heading back to the palace!" Monkey called back, running. "We have already checked this place twice now, and Crane is doing it again! So, we finished, right?"

Mantis managed to catch up and landed on his shoulder. "Then we should look for the others first! Maybe they found something! It's not a good idea to go back just to say we didn't find anything!"

"Ok, hear me out. I wanted to prepare something special for you and the others, so I need to go back. I've been working on some jokes SO funny that you won't be able to breathe anymore." He sounded proud of his project.

"Oh dear..." Mantis gulped and face palmed out of dread. "Can't you do that later?" He regretted his obvious question and immediately rushed to correct himself. "I mean—we won't be able to enjoy them in the middle of the mission! Just grab the scroll and let's continue our research."

Monkey cursed. "Damn, you're right. I guess for now I'll just keep it for a better occasion."

The bug let out a sigh of relief, sitting back upon Monkey’s shoulder. He could relax now. 'I don't know how I did it, but I did.' He didn’t even need Crane’s help on this one.

\----------------------------

Speaking of Crane, the bird flew high enough to reach the top of the mountains. Once again he looked for something he knew nothing about. He felt lost, randomly flying around the mountains and twisting his body to and fro. Then, he raised his head towards the horizon and balked. 

The scenery was strikingly beautiful. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, causing a cascade of colors to display against the sky. Golds, reds, and violets bathed the valley in gorgeous hues. The clouds spread out like soft and fluffy-looking curtains, while the sun was the main stage. This was the finale to its performance, but, soon it would close. He landed on a decent outcrop as soon as he saw it. He needed to rest, and indulge himself with the magnificent view before it ended.

"This place is amazing… You can see everything from here," Crane breathed, observing the landscape.

Up this high, everything was perfectly visible. The bamboo forest, the village, even the thousand steps leading up to the Jade Palace. It was beautiful how their creations and that of nature’s peacefully combined into something this perfect and harmonious.

'It would be nice to share this with someone who can actually fly like me,' Crane smiled sadly, leaning against the rock wall. He continued to watch the scenery in solitude, basking in the mildly comforting light.

Before him, a swirling portal suddenly opened and loomed over the ravine. Before Crane could even realize what was happening, something fell out, dropping off the side of the mountain and tumbling towards the ground below. 

"Help me!" a feminine voice called out. They screamed in terror.

Crane snapped to the edge, then swan-dived towards the human. He attempted to swoop under her, but as soon as he was next to her, the girl grabbed his right wing. For a moment, Crane panicked, unable to even out without his captive wing. But the girl scramble closer, swinging her body around until she pressed herself flat against his back, her arms squeezing his neck. 

He managed to gain altitude again. Now that she was safe, he glanced over his wing worriedly at her. "You okay?"

She held his neck tightly. He could feel her body trembling against his. She was too shaken to answer his question. "T-That was insane..."

"Don't worry; you're safe now. I won't hurt you," Crane reassured her.

The girl slowly loosened her grip, and Crane could sense her look around. "You… You can understand what I'm saying?" Her voice trembled as much as her body did. She was did her best to calm down.

"I could ask you the same," the bird mumbled, glancing over his shoulder to look at her. He was curious to know what kind of creature she was.

"What do you mean? I've never seen a talking Crane who saves people's lives!" she contested.

"Maybe in your world..."

 

"’My world?’" she repeated, shocked. "This isn’t my world?"

"Unfortunately, it isn’t. I'm sorry." He had no idea what to say, but he could at least offer his condolences. 

"Can't you take me back home...?" she questioned nervously.

Crane didn't know what to do; she seemed really confused and disoriented. Shifu was the one who knew precisely what was going on, but forcing her to go there would make him feel bad. He decided to leave it up to her. "Listen… I'll try to do that, but first I need to take you somewhere safe. Is that ok?"

She didn't reply. He was worried that she didn't hear or didn’t understand. Slowly he felt her presence closer and closer. Right as he was going to glance at her and make sure she was alright, she suddenly hugged him and whispered, "Thank you..." The girl then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

His face slowly turned into a beet red. He briefly reached up to lower his straw hat over his face so his cheeks couldn’t betray his emotions. He mumbled shyly, "My name's Crane, by the way… I-I apologize for my manners…”

The girl softly giggled, her straight brown hair flying everywhere due to the wind. Her blue eyes shined, no longer filled with the terror from before. She rested her head against his neck. "How am I supposed to call you if another Crane will eventually show up?" she laughed. "Mine name's Rebecca. Thanks again for saving me."

Crane tilted his head, confused by her question. "Nice to meet you, Rebecca! You have such a unique name. I've... never heard of it before."

"You can't imagine how unique yours is, too," she chuckled, playing along, knowing that he didn't understand the real meaning of what she was saying. After all, a crane was the name of a species, not a person. 

The girl curiously observed everything around them. She was amazed by how beautiful the world looked from the perspective of a bird, flying high in the sky and able to see things no one else saw.

"You know, I heard you," she suddenly admitted shyly.

"You… heard me?" he repeated, having no idea what she could have heard.

Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, before I fell. I heard your voice, but I couldn't see you."

He blushed. "W-What exactly did you hear?"

She smiled. "That you wanted someone to fly with. I'm sorry that you feel alone." The girl spoke with kindness in her voice. She didn’t want him to feel alone.

"Oh dear, this is awkward..." He tried to keep himself composed, even adjusting his hat to make himself look more proper, but he couldn't. "P-Please don't tell anyone..."

"I wish I could fly like you do." She looked away, gazing at the fading clouds. "You're lucky."

“...” Crane couldn’t find any words after her statement, pressing the lines of his beak into a thin line. He glided towards the Palace, growing nearer. He wondered if he really was so lucky if he felt so alone…

\--------------------------------

Monkey and Mantis came back to the palace. Shifu was waiting for them outside. He had tried several times to meditate, to distract himself, but he failed miserably. So, he ended up there on the edge of the thousand steps. "Have you found them?" he interrogated as soon as they showed up.

"Sorry, Master. We didn't," Monkey replied while Mantis shook his head.

Shifu sighed, disappointed even if he tried not to show it to them. "I want you to stay sharp. The others may come back with them and I need all the help I can find," the wise red panda stated.

"HELP! MANTIS!" Tigress screamed a few moments before suddenly appearing into view, coming up the thousand steps.

The bug whirled around. He spotted the human she was carrying on her back. "What happened? Is he dead?!"

Shifu didn't need to get closer to understand he had been poisoned. After all, it was written all over Tigress’s face. "Tigress, bring him inside. Mantis, prepare an antidote. We can still save him." He turned around, walking calmly inside. Contrarily, his students ran, gathering everything they needed.

"Monkey, listen carefully," Tigress said, laying the wounded human on her bed. "You must hold his arm still." She reached her paw forward, grasping the arrow shaft, and snapped it in half. "I need to pull the arrow out of his arm."

"Ok, but remember you can't hesitate, otherwise it will cause more damage," he reminded her, grabbing the man's left arm. He made sure he had a firm grip on it.

Tigress pressed her mouth in a thin line, then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I’m sorry... There's no other way." Her muscles tensed… and then removed the stick as fast as she could, leaving a small hole in his arm.

The male screamed, his face flickering in pain. He struggled desperately against Monkey’s grip, but he was too weak to fight against the kung fu master’s grip. The blood poured everywhere, streaming down his arm and staining the ground around him red. His struggles began to cease when he grew weaker.

"Calm down... Everything will be over soon," Tigress promised, wrapping the bandages around his wounded arm. Then, she turned around and ordered, "Monkey, go get Mantis. It's getting worse!" She shoved him out of the room.

Monkey met the bug in the hallway. "Mantis, the―"

"I got it! I'm coming!" Mantis walked past him and reached Tigress inside of her dorm. He set to work on the patient immediately.

The simian peeked inside curiously. He whispered, "Is he gonna make it?"

"Yeah, yeah," the bug grumbled. Tigress carefully propped the injured human up while Mantis forced him to drink something. "Of course he will. The poison they used wasn't even deadly. It was made just to cause some trouble..."

"He needs to recover now. We'll talk later. For now, leave the room," Tigress ordered while she lowered him back down.

Mantis’s work was done, so he left the room along with Monkey. Tigress lingered for a second longer, looking down at the human she was responsible for. She vowed to herself that she wouldn’t allow this to happen again. Gaining some peace with this thought, she left the room, sliding her door closed to give the human some peace and quiet away from the outside world.

\----------------------------------

Po was halfway to the top of the thousand steps, collapsed on the ground, panting heavily with the crate next to him. 'I can't… climb these stairs...' He thought, breathless. 'I was barely able to climb them by myself, much less with this thing... It's not as light as I thought it would be!' He recollected his strength and pushed himself up again. He grabbed the box, dragging it along with his body up the rest of the stairs. 

Shifu waited outside of the palace near the top of the thousand steps. He constantly rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to remain calm. Then a box suddenly appeared. It inched forward seemingly of its own accord, then righted itself when it reached a flat surface. Then, it stopped moving, and he heard a thud coming from behind it, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Shifu’s brow raised. He stretched his neck, trying to get a view of what lied behind the crate. He caught the sight of a dying panda slumped over the top of the steps. "Po? What are you doing on the ground?"

"I-I have..." He couldn't find his breath; he was really tired. "A hum―" He swallowed, then gestured wildly towards the crate, trying to find his words. "A human… in the box…!"

The red panda’s brow furrowed again. He came to his feet and lifted the lid of the crate, peeking at its contents. He cringed at the sight he saw within. "You could have used something less… painful!" he chided, seeing how uncomfortable the human must be.

"I couldn't find a better place!" Po finally recovered and stood up, resting his paws on his knees for another second before straightening up. "The least I can do now is to let it sleep on my bed."

His master nodded. "Yes, that is a good idea. Don't leave the room until he wakes up."

Po nodded and carried his human off towards his dorm. 

It didn't take long before Viper also returned up the steps, slithering towards her master with an unconscious human wrapped within her coils. "I'm going to watch over it," she claimed. "I'll call you when it wakes up."

\---------------------------------

Crane was the last to arrive. He landed in front of the red panda with the only awake human on his back. Rebecca then slid off of his back, looking at the huge palace in of her in amazement. "Is this where you live?!" she gawked. "It's amazing! I wish I could have a place like this too!"

"Well… While you're in our world, this will be your home," Crane reasoned.

Shifu coughed and the bird turned, seeing his master peering expectantly at him. Crane bowed. "Forgive me, Master. I've brought one of the humans."

Rebecca turned to Shifu. "’M-Master?!’" After realizing what the bird said, she whirled back to Crane. "One of the humans?!" She fell to her knees. "I'm so confused right now! My mind is going to explode!"

"Don't worry, young one." Shifu waited calmly for her to introduce herself.

"It's Rebecca." Crane proclaimed for her. He dipped his hat as if he were introducing himself.

"Do not worry, Rebecca. I will be happy to tell you what is going on and why you're here―"

"So I can go back home?!" she instantly stood up and edged closer to him.

"Yes..." Shifu slowly backed away. He raised his paw to ward her off. "But in front of all the humans." He turned his back on the two. "Now, please follow me inside." The master led them towards the Hall of Heroes.

Back with Tigress and Mantis, they were discussing the human’s condition. 

\--------------------------------------

"Is he going to be alright?" Tigress asked, concerned.

This was the first time Mantis has ever healed a human. He didn't know how his body worked, its resistances, or if the poison would go away with the concoction he made. After some moments, he replied, "I treated him like one of us. All we can do is hope for the best." The bug left the room, trudging towards the training hall and leaving her alone in front of her room door.

Tigress glanced at the door, then to the ground. Mantis was right. All they could do now was wait.

Meanwhile, Shifu came to check on the Five, warning them to bring the humans inside the temple when they woke.

Monkey, on the other hand, rushed towards his room. He arrived, crawled under his bed, and pulled out some scrolls. "These scrolls contain every single joke, pun, and prank I have thought of over the years," he commented proudly, like he was proudly proclaiming it to someone. "I need to find something new!" The content inside of the scrolls didn't satisfy him, so he crawled under again. Maybe he forgot some under of the bed? 

In the moment when he least expected, his Chi opened a portal… right under his bed.

"Okay, I didn't expect that to happen," he commented, surprised. He backed slowly away from the portal.

The human who came out of the portal felt even more uncomfortable than Monkey did. "Ok… From the darkest place to an ugly bedroom under a dusty bed. That's great," the human grumbled to himself.

"Let me help you." Monkey lent his arm and pulled him out of there. The human tried to dust off his white shirt to no avail, then sunk onto the bed. He didn't seem to care about what was happening. He looked at his surroundings, trying to get a grasp of where he was.

"So… who are you?" The simian tried to break the ice. But the human didn't seem to be a very talkative guy.

"Name's Mark," he replied coldly. And that’s all he said. Soon after, he curled up on the bed to get some rest.

Monkey was confused. He came from another dimension and didn't ask any questions or showed any fear. Is he fearless, or just plain crazy? "Don't you want to know what's happening?"

"I don't know. Should I care?" He replied as if nothing mattered to him at all.

"Why are you so rude? I just want to help you…" Monkey sat next to the human.

Mark laughed at him. "No one has ever said something like that to me before." He jumped off the bed. "What’s in it for you?" Curiosity danced within his dull eyes.

"No one?" Monkey didn't follow him clearly. What's he saying? "You sound like someone who has always been alone," he replied to the brown-skinned human.

The human smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Things were finally getting interesting for him. "Yes, you're right," he simply replied, but something seemed off with the way he was acting. "Well… I'm here, so… Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Monkey felt relieved. He was convinced the human had changed his mind and opened his heart. He reached forward and suddenly hugged Mark. Mark, on the other hand, felt extremely uncomfortable. His expression was filled with puzzlement, as if he had never been hugged by anyone in his life.

"Can we just go?!" Mark growled, trying his best to break free of the embrace.

Monkey finally let him go. He observed the human thoughtfully for a moment. He remembered how he saw pale humans, but this one was darker. "Did something happen to you?" he asked out of concern.

Mark’s brow furrowed. "No…? I'm fine…" His head tilted slightly.

"Well… Your skin is darker. I thought you were hurt or something," Monkey commented while leading the way to the temple.

Mark froze in place, thinking about what Monkey said, and then began to laugh uncontrollably. It was the first genuine laugh he’s had since arriving hear. Between laughs, he explained, "This is just my skin color!" He couldn’t help it. He laughed even harder.

\-------------------------------------

Po was watching over the human for a few hours. He had left it in his room. But, the human still didn't want to get up. The panda was thinking about doing something about it when he heard the human begin to snore. 'Was he sleeping all along?!' he mused to himself, shocked. ‘Who could manage to sleep through all that?!’

"Umm, excuse me…" Po hesitantly poked him. "Can you wake up?"

The human pushed his hand away and grumbled in his sleep. "No… I need to sleep more…" The human was mumbling without even noticing where he was or who was talking to him.

"But everyone is waiting for us!" Po shouted. "You can't be that lazy!"

"On the contrary, nobody is waiting for me," the human denied, not even bothering to open his eyes and look around. "I didn't do anything all day…" He started to snore again.

"I don't know what you usually do in your world," Po stated, "but in this one, we need every single human!"

"My world? Your world?" the human replied, quite confused. "What are you talking about?!" He finally got up from the bed and observed the room around him. His eyes widened when he recognized that the person he was talking to was a panda.

"Hi! I see you're finally awake!" Po exclaimed excitedly.

The human couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. "Are you a panda?!" It was the first question that came out of his still half-open mouth.

"Uh… yeah! So you have pandas in your world, too? That's cool!" Po grinned in return. Then, the giant panda got up and lent his paw to the human. "Here, come with me. I'll show you the palace."

"This is probably a dream," the man commented. "I used to think about crazy things, but this one beats them all." He stared at Po, of whom was so happy and excited. The man then sighed, finally accepting his help. "I'll wake up eventually. Let's just―" Suddenly, he froze. His back spasmed, and he could hear his bones creaking and popping. He let out a scream of pain. “YOUCH!” He didn't know what had happened, but that pain made him understand this wasn't a dream.

"I'm sorry, my fault. I put you inside a box..." Po admitted guilty, tapping his claws together. Then, he edged closer to the man and whispered, "You're kind of important stuff, so I had to hide you somewhere..."

"AND YOU THOUGHT A BOX WAS A GOOD IDEA?!" the human yelled, trying desperately to fix his body. It creaked and groaned whenever he moved.

"I-I couldn't find anything else!" Po grabbed him suddenly, hefting him into his arms. "Here, I'll carry you around!"

"Alright..." He sighed while the Dragon Warrior slung him on his back.

"So… Nice to meet you. My name is Po!" The Panda grinned at him over his shoulder, walking towards the temple. "Do you have one or should I just call you ‘Human?’"

"Of course I have one!" the human replied quickly. "It's Fulvio."

"Such a weird name!" Po laughed. "Your species has names like that?"

His eyes widened. "What?!" He cried out defensively, "No! It's actually pretty unique…" He trailed off while Po continued to march towards the rest of the temple. He felt awkward. He had never had to reply to such a question.

\-----------------------------

Inside Viper's room, the human she found was slowly waking up. The first thing she saw was a snake staring at her.

With a jerk, she panicked and tumbled backwards, falling off the bed. "Please don't bite me!" she begged. Then she realized how useless it was trying to talk to a snake, even more so asking it not to kill her. Snakes did as they pleased.

Viper laughed at how oddly the person fell off the bed. "I can't bite you, dear." She opened her mouth to prove her point, revealing the inside of her maw. "I don't have any fangs!" Then, she continued to giggle.

The girl slowly moved her red hair away from her face to get a better look. "You can understand me?" she questioned with a hint of amazement in her tone. Although it was even more amazing the snake could talk in the first place...

"Why shouldn't I?" Viper slithered on her belly around the room. "Anyways… How do you feel? Back there, you seemed so weak, but I guess you're fine now. You just needed some sleep."

The human held back the uncomfortable feeling of having a snake right above her. "You… saved me?" the human asked, wanting to know more. "Now this is even more awkward..."

Viper waved her tail passively to calm the human. "No, don't think that! It's my job to protect everyone! Even you!"

"I’ve never heard of a super snake with supernatural powers," the person teased Viper.

"I'm not a snake! Call me Viper!" She cuddled herself, wrapping her body around herself.

"Emily. Nice to meet you." The girl tried to shake off her feelings of apprehension. Viper didn't seem dangerous.

"Can you stand? We need to go." Viper slithered towards the door and opened it, glancing back and waiting on the human.

The girl came to a stand, but asked from confusion, "Yes, I can, but… Why am I here? Did you bring me here, then lay me on this bed?"

"Don't worry. I'll tell you everything. Just come with me." The serpent led the way to the temple.

\-------------------------------------

Tigress couldn't stop staring at the human in her care. She really wanted to know if he was fine, because she needed to talk to him. She couldn't forget how he risked his life like that for a stranger.

The human finally regained consciousness soon after. He moved to get up, putting his weight on his wounded arm. In his drowsy state, he forgot for a moment what happened to him. Then the pain erupted at the pressure on his wounded arm, and he fell off the bed, cradling his arm.

"Here, let me help you." Tigress lent her arm and helped him stand. "Can I ask you something?"

He grimaced, but gathered her bearings with her help. He sunk back onto the bed again, then responded to her question. "It depends on what you want to ask.” He smirked at her.

She was confused by his response, but held her ground. "I want to know why you shielded me."

"It's an easy question," he said dismissively. "If you were going to get poisoned, then we wouldn't be able to make it here."

"That's impossible," she shot back, contesting him. "You don't know anything about me. You protected someone who could have been a bad guy. You were sure that I was on your side. How?!"

He stood up, ignoring her. She tried to help him walk, but he refused. "I have a wounded arm not a broken leg. I can walk." He sauntered forward, then paused inside the hallway. "Will you lead the way or I do have to look around alone?" He spoke as if he knew everything already.

Tigress noticed he knew more than he should. She didn't understand why. It was like he had been reading her mind the whole time, and she couldn't help but be suspicious. "How could you―"

The human hushed her with his finger. "Let's just say we share some sort of weird bond. I even know the thing you're so obsessed with right now."

Her eyes shot open. "You… You know what Viper kept as a secret?" Then she raised an eyebrow, slightly unnerved at the possibility that this human could know more than he let on. It was an impossible thought though. She couldn't believe it. "It is rather weird, but I can't believe you so easily."

"I wasn't going to tell you anyway." His finger moved from her lips to her torso, "The answer you're looking for is there. When you have some free time, try to look there."

She rolled her eyes and shouldered past him, leading the way. "It doesn't matter right now. Just follow me."

"Your name's Tigress, right?" His eyes scanned her. He asked to be sure of what he knew.

She nodded. "Are you trying to prove to me that you know everything about me?"

"Uh… No, but I thought you wanted to know mine..." he replied simply, redirecting the question back to her.

She smirked. "Oh, that's where you wanted to go with this? Alright then, what's your name?"

"Simon. Sorry I wasn't able to satisfy your curiosity in time," he joked.

She commented sarcastically, "Thank you. I couldn't hold myself back any longer..."

\-----------------------------------

Everyone slowly gathered inside the temple. Five humans and five kung fu masters were there. 

However, Mantis was still missing. After healing the poisoned human, he headed towards the training hall, looking for some more clues inside the secret room. He didn't know that only one human was missing, but he wanted to help somehow.

'Maybe we left something behind,' He thought carefully, looking everywhere. He shoved the dust away, but nothing appeared. He nearly gave up on his search. He exited the room and headed to the temple. But, something caught his eye. An eerie sound creaked and groaned, and it was coming from the mechanism of the training course. Strange sounds were coming from under the ground, sounds that shouldn’t be there. 'Is it breaking?' he thought. 'It may be bad news. If something happened to the training course...' Worried, the bug removed the wooden planks and checked to see what was making that terrible sound.

Some stuck cogs were blocking the mechanism, and the rolling logs used to train balance weren't able to move anymore. 'Maybe I just need to push them further...' He tried to, but that awful grating sound increased. 'Oh no, I made things worse! I should go ask for help instead.'

"Let me see what's wrong..." A voice behind him listened to his cry for help, even though he didn't even say a word. Mantis quickly turned to the source, having nearly leaped out of his exoskeleton.

A weird creature ducked down, put some glasses on and analyzed the situation. "Who… are you...?" Mantis asked, confused. "But most importantly, do you really know how to fix it?" He rubbed his pincers together worriedly, his gaze darting back to the broken mechanism which threatened to disrupt their training hall.

"It's… uh… very old, this mechanism… But I can easily fix this." He pulled out a wrench, a screwdriver and some oil. "Ok… Now it should be alright. Try to activate it, little bug," it commanded him.

The sound disappeared and the logs spun as usual. Whoever he was, he repaired it easily. Mantis thanked him earnestly. "You really saved us! This place is very important to my friends and I.”

"If I can ask, I really need some help." The human kneeled in front of him and allowed the bug to jump onto his hand.

Mantis nodded without hesitation. "Feel free to ask! I owe you one."

"Well… I'm kinda lost. I ended up here crossing what I believe to be a portal. Can you help me? Are there some other humans here? Or… only bugs like you?"

Mantis’s eyes widened, surprised. 'A portal? What? How? Did it happen right in the moment the machine broke?' These and many more questions were floating in his mind.

"So… Can you help me?" the human repeated, seeing that Mantis wasn't replying.

"There are some more humans! They are all waiting for us on other side of the palace," he explained.

"Ok then." He moved the bug from his hand to his shoulder. "Let's get going."

"You can call me Mantis, by the way," the bug specified on the way to the temple, pointing out the direction whenever it was needed.

"Sorry, I completely forgot. I'm Leo; nice to meet you." They moved into the temple, where everyone else congregated.

\----------------------------------

Everyone gathered inside the temple, each human standing next to the animal who found them. Shifu had the pleasure of meeting them all, safe and sound. He tried to explain in a simpler manner what had happened, but... 

"That's fantastic..." Simon commented, frustrated from both Shifu's story and his wounded arm. "What does all of that have to do with us?"

"I agree. Isn't it related to your world?" Fulvio said while on top of the Panda.

Mark was bored with hearing the meaningless speech. He put his hands inside his pockets, finding something odd. "Uh, what's this green rock?" He pulled it out. Everyone looked at it curiously.

Shifu noticed it and quickly shouted, "You! Give me that!" Shifu pointed towards the green rock in Mark’s hand.

Mark considered it junk and decided to give it to him without thinking twice now that everyone turned to stare. He hefted it in his hand. "Here, catch."

The red panda finally understood the real connection between the human world, the void, and the six heroes. "Those are Chi stones," he explained.

The kung fu masters’ eyes widened. That was unexpected, and unpredictable. Tigress was the one who spoke up. "Master, wait! Shouldn't Chi stones be inside of our bodies?" she asked, confused. The humans glanced at each other, clueless to what was happening.

"Not if… the humans have inherited the power from ancient heroes," Shifu stated.

"Ancient heroes' power? What is he talking about?" Emily asked, confused and peeking out from behind Crane's wings.

"You have inside of you… still sleeping somewhere… the power to fix and stop the void from cracking." He then briefly explained what Chi is. "Your Chi stones are rough ones, still. With training you'll probably unlock incredible powers."

Emily, the human next to Viper, raised her hands, as if to stop them. "One thing at a time. Ancient heroes? Void? What are you talking about?"

Shifu knew he had to explain to them what's going on, so he gave them a brief summary of what they discovered up till now. "Thousands of years ago, the void cracked. The void is a very peculiar place that connects every dimension and universe together. That place is sealed not only for that reason, but because inside of it lives creatures who would eat everything they find. When it cracked, six heroes sealed it, saving everyone. Now, the same tragedy could happen again and you humans have been chosen to fulfill their duty." Shifu leaned forward, eyeing all of them seriously. "Will you help us?"

Leo, the human with the bug on his shoulder, seemed even more interested now. "I'm in. I really want to know what I'll be able to do."

"Don't rush, young human." Shifu raised his paw haltingly. "Today we have something else to do."

Rebecca tilted her head, confused. "What else is more important than that?"

"Building your own house." The red panda rubbed his chin. "In the palace there isn't enough space to keep you all."


	4. First power unlocked Chapter 1, P1

All the humans slowly began introducing themselves. For some of them it was quite weird and embarrassing.

"I… I don't know what to say," Fulvio mumbled sheepishly from on top of the giant panda. He had average-looking short black hair and brown eyes. He also had on a pair of blue pants and a brown shirt.

Simon glared at him scornfully. "Your name would be enough. They know nothing about our world and manners." Similar to Fulvio, Simon had brown eyes and black hair, but his hair was much longer and it fell to his shoulders. He had on a pair of black pants, and a red shirt with the left sleeve cut off due to the warriors using it as a makeshift bandage for his wound.

"Maybe, but not everything seems like it's completely different here..." Emily said, glancing around curiously. She had red wavy hair and brown eyes, and is currently wearing a yellow shirt paired with some light blue jeans.

"So… what's the plan?" Mark asked coldly, arms crossed and nonchalantly leaning against a wall behind everyone else. He had dark brown skin, short white hair, and a pair of deep green eyes highlighted by his sleeveless white shirt and black pants.

"Didn't you hear the raccoon?!" Rebecca scolded him, rolling her eyes and sighing at his aloof attitude. "We have to stay here, fix whatever he said needed to be fixed, and then, as heroes, we will be sent back home! Simple!" Rebecca was the shortest one out of everyone in the group. She was wearing a pink shirt and a pair of short, light blue pants. She had light blue eyes, and straight brown hair slightly longer than Simon's.

Leo cringed, taken aback by Rebecca's outburst. "R-Raccoon? There are no raccoons here!" He was the oldest and tallest one of the group with short, dark blonde hair, and brown eyes with a pair of glasses sitting neatly in front. He wore a striped white and blue shirt and brown pants.

"What, then, is that?" Rebecca insisted, pointing at Shifu who was trying very hard to not look offended.

Some of the humans looked away, feeling embarrassed by her bluntness, while the others merely laughed. "He's a red panda," Leo explained with an apologetic smile to said animal.

The girl stiffened and instantly turned red. "Oh… P-PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I DIDN'T KNOW!" she exclaimed loudly, running behind Crane to hide, successfully making the bird look even more uncomfortable than before.

Shifu ignored whatever just happened with a shake of his head and continued, "It isn't a coincidence that we have six humans and six kung fu masters. The first human you met today will be your partner from now on."

"Partner?" Tigress repeated in confusion, head tilted and an eyebrow raised.

"They'll need a guide. Someone needs to look after them and protect them while they are here. They know nothing of this world, so it's best to assign a human to each one of you." Shifu nodded to each of his students, and then coughed to clear his throat. "I have made up my mind. Fulvio, stay with Po. Tigress, you're with Simon. Monkey, you have Mark. Viper, take care of Emily. Leo, you will be with Mantis. Rebecca, you will stick with Crane."

"Oh, isn't that just perfect..." Mark groaned sarcastically with a tone of disinterest. He threw a glare at the golden-furred monkey as if to say, “Touch me and you die.”

Monkey widened his eyes, held up his hands in a peaceful gesture, and slowly backed away.

Shifu then began explaining everything they needed to know. "The only thing I ask of you six is to not go down to the village, understand? Our people shouldn't see you, so don't ever leave this place alone," Shifu said in a commanding tone, staring pointedly at each and every one of the humans.

The aforementioned humans nodded, some seriously and others like they couldn't care less. However, the thing that bugged them all was the fact that they couldn't remember anything before falling into the darkness. A few who were awake while falling told the others that it was completely dark and empty, but then there was a gold light that appeared and helped them find the exit to the endless chasm. Nonetheless, they―along with everyone else―couldn't recall how they got there in the first place.

"Protect these chi stones at all costs because inside of them lies an incredible power. That is why we need to teach them as soon as possible," Shifu continued, "but for today, you should build three huts for our guests."

Meanwhile, while the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior bowed to their sensei and took off with their respective humans―with and without some struggle―outside the temple, an owl chuckled maliciously. She had just heard the entire conversation without anyone noticing her presence.

"Interesting," she purred to herself before flapping her large wings, leaving a gust of feathers in place of where she was perched.

"These ancient powers must be mine. I think I'll need a little help from a dear friend," she thought cunningly. An evil laugh erupted from her pointed beak as a plan formed in her mind. Flapping her wings harder, the owl quickly disappeared into the horizon.

Po, the Furious Five, and their six humans went outside the temple. They were all thinking about where a good spot might be to build three little houses.

"We can build them close to our rooms. After all, if something happens in the middle of the night, we can arrive to deal with the problem quicker," Tigress explained, tail swishing from side to side absentmindedly while she examined the reactions of her comrades.

"Do you think we will be able to finish in time before night comes?" Viper questioned, feeling not too sure about the amount of time until completion.

Leo picked up a few pieces of paper and a pencil. "Actually, about that…" He tapped the pencil against his lip for a moment before jotting something down. "I can help you guys with the architectural designs and blueprint plans. Don't worry; our houses will be done in no time," Leo said with an encouraging smile, and then began sketching something with big, precise hand movements.

Mark rolled his eyes and glanced at the sky with an irritated expression. He wasn't at all excited to build a freaking house of all things, and was already thinking of ways to avoid any work.

"We can work without your help guys," Monkey spoke up with a friendly smile. He had noticed Mark's reaction, and was trying to gain the human's favor. Or, at least get Mark to look like he tolerated him. "You guys can go get some rest."

The girls instantly refused his offer. They both claimed they wanted to help them along with Leo. 

Fulvio instead took full advantage of Monkey’s offer. "I'll take Simon to rest in his room since he can't help because of his condition!" In literally five seconds, Fulvio had retrieved Simon and dragged the poor guy away. Simon didn't want to leave, but he was wounded and knew he couldn't help much anyways. So, being frustrated with himself and annoyed at his wound, he opted to glare daggers at the happy-go-lucky grin on Fulvio's face.

Po perked up. "Oh! Oh! I'll help bring in some wooden planks!" he announced, just about ready to sprint away before Mantis leaped in front of the panda and stopped him. "No! The last time we let you do that, you broke everything! We were stuck working all day fixing a house in the village with nothing but rocks and twigs!"

"Aw c'mon! This time I won't mess up! I swear!" Po begged, trying very hard to regain Mantis's trust.

"Well actually, we need you to do something else," Tigress intervened suddenly while she glanced down at the expertly drawn sketches Leo made.

"Really?!" Po was excited upon hearing that. A mission, only for him!

"You can prepare something for everyone to eat," she said with a smirk before turning away to join the others in picking out a spot for the huts.

Po’s face fell, his previously happy expression crumbling away like one of Monkey's secret cookies. Tigress had totally fooled him. "But… That's not…"

"Shifu told us that you brought Fulvio inside the supply box Ping sends us everyday, and now we don't have any food. Isn't dinner important, too?" she added suavely with a sly smile. Po, for once, couldn't think of a reply, and Tigress knew then that she had won.

"Fine… I'll go to get some food, but I'll definitely join you guys after!" Po pointed at them with both of his paws dramatically before clumsily jogging away.

"Alright guys, we've gotta work as fast as we can! We've got to finish before Po comes back!" Mantis shouted, frantically leaping all over the place to gather materials. In a heartbeat, the rest of the Five sprung into action as well, leaving the humans to stare at their sudden burst of enthusiasm in astonishment.

Fulvio used Simon as an excuse to have some alone time, but in truth he didn't want to work or sleep at all. He only wanted to listen in on the entire conversation from a distance... which is precisely what he and Simon did.

"You want to go with Po, don't you? I can read the look written on your face that says you really want to," the wounded boy grunted to the other.

Fulvio grinned back at him. "Haha, yep, that's right! Do you want to come too?"

"How should we go? We can't leave the palace, everyone will probably notice. Besides I can't stealthily follow you in these conditions, I'll only give your presence away…" Simon replied, gently poking his arm to check to see if it's healing, but instead wincing at the spike of pain that shot up his arm like a bullet.

"Well then, I guess I'll go alone. See you later!" Simon nodded at the boy's retreating back. Fulvio left discreetly and tried to catch up to Po.

Simon walked towards Tigress's room, needing more rest than the others. "That boy has something even I can't figure out…"

Po, feeling pretty down, descended the lengthy stairs. He just wanted to stay and help them. Knowing better than these humans, it seemed so unfair to do that chore alone.

Fulvio noticed that and decided to show up sooner. He jumped at him, screaming, "Watch out!"

The panda didn't expect his call and turned around as Fulvio grabbed him, making Po lose his balance. They both started to fall all the way down to the bottom. Po grabbed the human and curled into a ball, trying to avoid any damage. At the end of the stairs, he slammed against the wall.

"Are you okay?" the panda asked, concerned and looking for injuries.

"That was incredible!" Fulvio said after standing up on shaky legs. "Luckily I didn't eat yet. Otherwise I would've needed to throw up by now!"

"You shouldn't be here!" Po scolded, changing the subject. "Nobody can see you! It's dangerous!"

"Okay. I understand," Fulvio replied. "Bring me back to the palace then." He sat on the stairs, waiting for Po to pick him up.

Po remembered the struggles he had with climbing up the stairs. He could hardly climb up alone. When he carried Fulvio, his heart felt like it was going to explode. "Well… Maybe you can come with me after all." The panda decided to make the most of this. He changed his mind and smiled, because now there was someone else with him.

Fulvio stood up again, beginning to take some steps forward. However, Po suddenly stopped him, putting his arm in the way. "Wait! We can't walk normally among the citizens! We need to take another path." After saying this, he picked up the human and jumped onto the roof of a house. The panda was running on top of the buildings and still managed to bring the human with him unnoticed. "Okay, my dad's shop is right under here."

"Oh… That's good. How should we—" He wasn't able to finish before Po leaped off the roof, bringing him along. Fulvio, predicting what his partner wanted to do, screamed. They landed with a really loud thud.

"Li can you check outside? I heard a girl shouting in the back!" Ping said from the kitchen.

Po started to panic. He frantically tried to find a hideout for his friend. Fulvio glared at him with a look that said, “I dare you to put me inside another box.” Po found a huge barrel and put him there instead.

"I swear I can't handle this anymore," Fulvio muttered, annoyed.

As soon as Li came out, he immediately noticed Po was hiding something from them. His face wasn't normal, holding his usual suspicious expression when he didn’t want to be caught. Po felt trapped. "Lotus… What are you doing out here?"

The panda released a guilty laugh. "N-Nothing! I was just passing by and―"

Ping stepped outside, too, because Li hadn't come back. He thought something had happened! "Po? You shouldn't be here! I already gave you some supplies!" He scolded his son, thinking he came to eat more.

Po felt cornered, not knowing how to answer. "I wanted to know if you found out the correct recipe for your new soup!" he shouted without thinking of his volume.

Li remembered how many times they tried until they found the right one. He felt nauseous and returned to the kitchen.

"Oh… You should've told me sooner!" Ping exclaimed happily. "It's inside this barrel—"

'Not that one please!' Po thought, scared.

"—that I put all the ingredients in and I was going to send to you tomorrow." He pointed towards the same barrel where Fulvio was hiding.

'That's great…' Fulvio thought sarcastically.

"These ingredients are the best in all of China!" Ping hit the barrel twice, the spices moved around. 

Fulvio inhaled them sharply. He tried to resist the urge to sneeze, but failed. “ACHOO!”

"Huh?! There's something inside of it!" Ping exclaimed, then looked at Po, who was sweating badly. He understood that something fishy was going on. "What are you hiding from me!?"

Fulvio opened the barrel and came out. "Po, I guess it's time to tell him the truth. I can't hide anymore…"

The goose turned towards the boy, who exited out of the barrel. "Are you related to Monkey? You resemble him somewhat…"

Po's eyes widened greatly. "He's right… I didn't notice that! Let's just say―" His belly suddenly growled, interrupting his speech.

"You'll tell me everything later! I'll cook something to eat, so come inside!" he stated before going back into the kitchen.

Po finally gave up and explained everything: the legend, the heroes, and the humans.

"Oh! That's why I have never seen someone like you here before!" Ping exclaimed, giving them some noodle soup.

Li didn't seem as surprised as the goose. "Humans… I don't know where or how, but I remember hearing this word somewhere…" He tried to focus, but nothing came out.

Fulvio stopped eating briefly. "Let me know if you remember anything. Any bit of information is helpful!"

"I have the best food for my mind right here!" Li sat at the table with them and picked up a bowl full of dumplings.

"Dad, give me some dumplings too!" Po reached over and grabbed several.

"Dumplings? Never had one," the human commented nonchalantly, watching the animals eat.

The two pandas upon hearing him, stopped and stared, wordless. "YOU HAVE NEVER EATEN A DUMPLING?!" they both shouted in unison.

Fulvio felt like he had said something weird, but he wasn't able to speak because Po plopped one into his mouth, looking excited. "Now tell me what you think!" the panda urged.

Fulvio chewed a bit. He didn't like its taste, but Po was probably waiting for a positive answer, so he decided to lie. "It's pretty good!"

Li lent him the bowl thinking he wanted some more, but the human kindly refused. "I'm already full," he lied.

Everything seemed to be going better than expected: Ping accepted the request to prepare the food for everyone in the palace and accepted Po's apologies for lying twice. Something snapped inside of Fulvio's mind when he saw how strong the bond was between them. A memory from the past played out in his mind that resembled what he did with the dumpling Po offered him.

Po noticed that something was wrong with his new friend. "You okay?"

He ignored Po's call and stood up. "I need to go out for a second. Excuse me."

"Wait, where are you going?!" Po complained, but the human continued on his path out the back door with no response.

Fulvio took a few steps forward before sitting on the ground with a sigh, looking up at the sky.

"What's bothering you?" Po slowly approached him, still eating a dumpling.

Fulvio continued not to answer. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know how to explain it. It was a mixture of emotions into one complicated emotion.

Po scooted closer and tugged the human into an embrace. "I don't know how it feels to be catapulted into another world, but… the others and I will do everything we can to make this place comfortable for you all."

"Thank you, but that's not what bothers me…"

The panda thought a bit and said, smiling, "Don't tell me it's about the dumpling?"

Fulvio, flustered, turned to him. "Did you notice?" He stared at the ground guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to ruin the moment."

Po laughed. "C'mon do you really think that was important? I was happy because you were here with me, not because of the dumpling!"

The human didn't believe what he actually heard. "What? Don't lie to me! We barely know each other!"

"Just because I don't know anything about you doesn't mean I can't call you friend. We have time to tell each other every secret and every story!"

Fulvio felt relieved to hear these words; nobody had ever told him something like that before. He tightened Po's hold around his body, seeking out more cuddles. Surprisingly, his body started to shine with golden light.

"What's happening?!" the human shouted, scared.

"Check your chi stone!" Po suggested to him.

Fulvio picked the stone out from his pocket. It was glowing even more than his body. "Please help me!" he cried out. "DO SOMETHING!"

The panda didn't know what to do! He felt useless as the gold light covered the human completely and became even brighter, forcing Po to clench his eyes shut.

"Po! Open your eyes! The light is gone! Do you notice anything different?" Fulvio asked his friend.

As soon as he opened his eyes, they widened even more. He wanted to be sure of what he was seeing. "You won't believe me…" the Panda shuddered. "Look at your hands!"

The human looked down at his hands. For a moment he didn't realize what was wrong. Then, suddenly, he screamed, frightened. "NO…THIS IS A JOKE, RIGHT?!" Fulvio questioned, panicked.

What was human... was no longer human.

Po tried to calm him down. "Maybe there's a way to turn you back into a human… Don't panic…"

"HOW WOULD YOU FEEL WHEN YOU LITERALLY CHANGE YOUR FORM INTO SOMETHING ELSE?!" he shouted back at him, freaking out even more. The newly created panda checked his body, noticing that even the tail was there now.

Fulvio was a panda now... Was it Po's doing? He didn't know what to think. The chi stone appeared around his neck as a panda shaped necklace.

Ping and Li came outside to check on them, hearing the scream. They became surprised when they didn't see a human, but another panda. Po quickly explained to them what had occurred in their absence.

"Po, you should take a better look at him." He pointed towards Fulvio's hands and feet. Everything seemed to resemble a common panda. However, the spots, which were supposed to be black, were white while the rest of his body was black.

"That's true… Is that normal?" Po questioned to his biological father.

"Reversed pandas used to have that special trait, but not only there! Every spot is switched," Li stated, bewildered.

"Do you mean… where black should be, there's white? And vice-versa?" Po tried to follow.

"Yes, exactly… It's weird because he's probably a cross between these two species."

"I think it's cool!" Po nodded, observing Fulvio's body like it’s some sort of miracle. His eyes glistened like they usually did when he was observing something he thought was awesome.

Li rubbed his chin. "It's weird because reversed pandas don't exist anymore," he added.

Po and Ping gaped. "Really?!"

Fulvio cut into the conversation, crying for help. "I DON'T CARE! I JUST WANT TO BE HUMAN AGAIN! AM I STUCK IN THIS BODY FOREVER?!"


	5. Emotions are the key

The human-turned-panda was touching himself everywhere. He felt so uncomfortable having fluffy fur, being three times heavier, and to have a tail (even if it was just a little ball). He could even sense it moving.

"Fulvio, try to stand up! Walk! Try to get used to this new form!" Po suggested.

"THAT'S EASY TO SAY! I can't control it properly!" He tried to walk a bit but lost control and fell on the floor.

Li smelled something burning. "What's that smell?"

"I FORGOT THE NOODLES!" Ping rushed inside the kitchen.

Po thought for a way to help his friend learn how to control his body. "Come with me, I have an idea!" he yelled, then dragged Fulvio inside the restaurant.

"What are all of you doing here?!" Ping shouted, worried. "This place can only handle so many fat pandas!"

"I'm sorry, dad. We're going to leave soon."

"Now can you tell me what you want me to do?" Fulvio asked, trying to keep a stable position inside the small kitchen.

Po searched inside of his old stuff and pulled out his old apron from when he used to work there. "Here, put this on!"

"But I bring the food to the customers!" Li intervened.

"No… I can't be a waiter! No… You're out of your mind!" Fulvio didn't like this at all. His features were twisted in horror.

"Dad, let him do it until our food is ready!" Po shouted, then turned to explain to his friend. "Do it! I started with this, so it will help you!"

'This is so embarrassing, but he knows best...' Fulvio thought dejectedly to himself while wearing that odd apron.

Ping pulled out a sign. It said: "We don't give any refunds."

Po, reading that, disappointedly looked towards his adoptive father. "Did you forget the trust thing already?"

"I trust you, son, but I can't say the same for the other one," Ping mumbled. "I just need to be sure."

Po sighed, then turned back around to face Fulvio. "Don't worry, I'll help you," he reassured, trying to calm him down.

Fulvio was convinced to give this a try just to see how it would work out. "Fine… What should I do?"

Po quickly explained what he had to do, but Fulvio didn't learn anything new or useful from what he already knew. He tried, he really did, and messed up almost immediately; he spilled the soups on the customers, pushed away the tables, and tripped while carrying stuff. Ping pulled out another sign. It said: "With the next purchase, free tofu dessert."

"Dad!" Po frowned at him disappointedly.

"What? More money for me..." Ping added.

All the customers were complaining about “that incompetent panda.” Po tried to reassure Fulvio. "It's your first time, don't worry. You'll get the hang of it!" 

However, Fulvio couldn't take it anymore. "No, Po, that's enough!" he shouted back at Po. "I'm not a panda! I can't be a panda! I tried, but this isn't working..."

Li argued to help his son, "Even Po didn't know what it was to be a panda. You shouldn't put yourself down."

Fulvio threw the apron at Po. His irritation had reached its peak. "I want my body back! Not learning how to use another one!" He was on the verge of tears before running away towards the palace, leaving Po behind.

"No Fulvio, wait!" Po started to follow him, but Ping blocked him.

"You can't leave without this!" Thirteen noodle soups and some tofu were placed inside a giant box and passed to him.

"I need to reach him! But… I can't run with all this stuff!" he muttered. "I GUESS WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE PALACE!" Po hoped Fulvio heard that and slowly walked back to the palace with the box in tow.

\-------------------------------------

The human-panda climbed back to the palace. Unlike his partner, he didn't seem affected by the “panda asthma” (as the Dragon Warrior called it). He sat at the top of the stairs, overwhelmed by his thoughts.

In that moment, Emily, since Tigress asked her to, was helping Simon. They were passing by when they noticed the giant panda sitting on the stairs. "Look, is that Po?" Emily asked Simon.

"It should be him, but I'm not so sure," Simon said, approaching.

Fulvio was holding his chi stone and staring at his curious shape, still hoping to find a way to reverse this effect.

As soon as he got close enough, Simon noticed the changed chi stone and exclaimed, "Fulvio, is that you?!"

"Oh… Hi guys..." he simply replied. The man was demoralized… a lot.

"I see… The hidden power Shifu was talking about is this," Emily realized. "We should tell the others. This is important."

Simon nodded, but then said, "Go on then. I need to talk to Fulvio. Don't worry about my wound; it hurts, but I'm fine."

Emily left, and Simon sat next to Fulvio. "Now I know what the odd thing is that bothered me about you."

"Hmm?" Fulvio turned his face to him.

"You're like Tigress, who used to hide every emotion and lock them up. She cared more about the others than herself."

Fulvio grinned a bit, but that didn't work in making him feel better. There was too much weighing on his mind to be cheered up so easily. His paws clenched tightly into fists. "I vented on Po... I can't forgive myself!"

"Whatever happened, staying here and crying about how useless you are won't change anything." Simon tried to make him realize what he had to do.

"You don't understand! Too many things happened in such a short time! This body, his family, then the waiter thing!" The panda put his paws on his face, covering it as a desperate attempt to push the problems away.

"Look at me," Simon said. As soon as Fulvio removed his paws and looked at him, Simon punched his face.

Fulvio stared back at him, cuddling his face, his haywire emotions halting the struggle within his mind.

"You just need to calm down with one step at the time. Everything will be fine."

Fulvio usually wouldn't believe these things, but he said it with such a calm and kind voice, like he was really sure of it. He couldn’t help but simply trust him. "Thank you. I owe you one."

"What? This is nothing." Simon winked, thinking that's already the second time he said something similar. "But… Shouldn't you be somewhere else now?" Simon asked him.

Fulvio panicked, remembering that he left Po behind with a huge pile of food. He stood up and ran down the stairs again.

'I have a theory about this transformation and I'll test it right away,' Simon thought, and headed towards the peach tree.

\-----------------------------------

Meanwhile, Po, tired and sweaty, was climbing back to the palace, hoping that Fulvio would hear his screams of apology. "Please come back! I didn't want to change you!"

"I know that you were trying to help me." The weird panda popped out of nowhere, scaring Po. After that, they both started to laugh.

"Will you accept my apologies?" Po mumbled.

"You don't need to since I was the one who created a useless problem. I can deal with this as long as you will be here to support me."

Po smiled, happy. "I'll be so clingy that you won't be able to think!"

Fulvio was glad to hear that, so much that his stone glowed again, turning him back into a human. 

"You're back!" the panda shouted, excited. "How did you do that?!"

The human thought about it for a moment, then realized the key for controlling it. After some moments, he focused, shape-shifting again into a panda.

Po’s eyes widened, staring at him in awe. "Wow… Someone knows how to use his power now!"

"My emotions… That's how I turned the first time, and this is how I changed back! Po! The others needs to know! Hurry!" He helped Po carrying the boxes towards the palace.

\--------------------------------------

Emily had returned to the others and was in the middle of explaining to them how Fulvio was now a panda. However, she was interrupted when Po and Fulvio ran into them.

"Guys!" Po shouted. "We brought a God's gift!" The two pandas put down the box.

Everyone, surprised and shocked, gathered around Fulvio, of whom was still a panda.

"Ehm… Can I have some space? I can't breath..." Fulvio couldn't handle that much attention.

"I can't believe it! Now we have two pandas..." Monkey cried out. "THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!"

"Monkey, don't be rude!" Viper scolded him, while Mark hid a little laugh.

The pandas explained what Emily didn't. There was a way to revert the transformation too. However, there were more questions that needed answers.

"Are you a panda because of Po, or are we going to have our own unique animal forms?" Leo questioned, excited to hear an answer.

"YES, YES, YES!" a hyper Rebecca yelled. "I WANT TO BE A BIRD LIKE CRANE!"

"It's great that Fulvio unlocked his special power, but Shifu told you that you MUSTN'T bring the humans outside the palace!" Tigress specified, glaring at Po. She loomed over him threateningly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Po took the blame and covered for his friend, which said friend noticed. 

"You shouldn't do it, you idiot," Fulvio whispered to him.

Tigress noticed that Simon still wasn't there. "Emily, I asked you to look after Simon. The huts are almost ready. Where is he?"

"He wanted to stay with Fulvio, so I came here, thinking that he wasn't alone," the girl explained.

Fulvio began shyly, "Po needed help so I..." He trailed off, then slumped his shoulders before finishing with, "...left him at the top of the stairs."

"You did WHAT?!" Tigress shouted, angry. "HE'S WOUNDED!” She thrust her claw pointedly at the doors. “GO GET HIM! NOW!"

Po didn't understand what the problem was. "Why are you so mad? I'm sure he's fine. Nothi―"

"BECAUSE HE'S TOO IMPORTANT TO BE LEFT ALONE. GO!" Tigress shouted, her voice louder than before.

Fulvio and Po ran back to the stairs. They hoped nothing had happened, for both Simon's sake and theirs.  
\------------------------------------

Simon had arrived at the sacred Peach Tree of Wisdom. He had a feeling this place was the right place to relax and clear his mind. 'It's time to prove if I'm right,' he thought, sitting on the ground.

Closing his eyes, the man slowly inhaled and exhaled. Simon tried to push away every thought, focusing on himself. His chi stone and body glowed with golden lights. Thanks to his determination, he successfully shape shifted.

'Wow… It's even better than I thought,' he mused, satisfied. He observed his new body.

His chi stone appeared around his neck, like Fulvio, but he wasn't a panda. He was a crocodile with dark scales. His golden shiny eyes narrowed while he raised his arm, peering at the new rough texture of his skin. His mouth, once soft, now was elongated into a maw of crushing power. Flexing his fingers and observing his new claws, he realized something.

'My wounds aren't shared with my two forms…!' He moved his left arm and it didn't hurt. Peering closely, he couldn’t find the arrow wound that had pierced his flesh previously.

He checked his newfound strong body, clenching his fists. With these sharp fangs and his long tail that resembled a whip, he felt strong and powerful. An ominous smile appeared on his face.

Nearby, Shifu was meditating and he perceived something that changed suddenly. 'The humans' chi! Two of them are stronger than before! How is it possible in such short time?' the red panda pondered wildly. His eyes were drawn wide in bewilderment.

Simon found Shifu not so far from where he was. He drew closer to the red panda, announcing his presence. "I think we discovered what kind of powers we have."

Shifu slowly turned to him. "What kind of power, if I may ask?"

The crocodile didn't reply and waited for him to completely turn towards him. Shifu’s eyes widened further in response, coming to his feet and moving closer. "Simon? Is that you?" The old master recognized Simon's voice, but didn't expect to see someone else, and a crocodile at that! However, he quickly composed himself and slid his arms into his sleeves. He eyed the man while lost in thought.

"You don't seem as surprised as you should be, Shifu. Are you hiding something else?" The croc narrowed his amber eyes suspiciously.

"Do the others know about your new power?" It seemed more like a competition: who could hide more things from the other and act more mysterious?

"I'll do that right away, but you should do it, too. Sooner or later they will find out." The human-turned-crocodile rushed outside, climbing the top of the palace.

\----------------------------------------------

Po and Fulvio noticed a suspicious figure going towards the huts and worried about who he was, forgetting completely about Simon, and ran back into the place they just left.

Tigress and the others had just finished building the new homes for the humans. They built three houses for two people each.

"We did it!" Crane shouted, spreading his wings. "Even faster than usual!"

"Hi, everyone!" The crocodile cried out from atop the roof, and then jumped, landing in front of the masters.

The five instinctively put themselves in front of the humans, protecting them. They were ready in their battle stances and ready to defend them with their lives against this new threat. However, Tigress was different. Her tangerine eyes scanned the stranger’s form and, after some moments, noticed the necklace. She immediately realized who the crocodile was. He was no stranger to any of them.

"Don't worry guys, I got this!" Po shouted, running towards Simon. He revved up his fists, preparing to combat him.

Tigress growled. Po hadn’t realized it yet. She had to stop him. "No, wait! Po, he isn't―"

But Po didn't listen to her. The Dragon Warrior leaped, ready to crush him with his belly. Simon gracefully dodged, landing his right foot on Po's head, then jumped away. The panda fell on the ground, slid, and crashed into a wall.

"That will leave a bruise," Mantis stated, covering his eyes with his pincers from the loud and painful crash. 

Shifu came some moments later, following that awful noise. "What's happening here? Simon?" He turned his gaze towards the crocodile.

Everyone realized then that the necklace was Simon’s rough chi stone after obtaining his new power.

"Oh… I see." The red panda observed the completed huts and congratulated them. "You did a good job, but it's getting late." Then he moved the unconscious panda onto the floor. "Po! Instead of playing, you should have cooked dinner!" Shifu scolded.

Po merely groaned in response.


	6. Sorrowful night

Building new huts took a lot of time and energy. Soon it was going to be dark outside; night was coming. Everyone gathered inside and waited for dinner.

"Here! Everything's ready!" Po came to them, bringing the noodle soups his dad prepared. "Oh… The table seems bigger," Po commented, then came to a realization. "Oh yeah, of course. We have more people now."

Monkey laughed. "And did you get it all alone? I'm really impressed!"

"Well…what can I say? I'm a genius. Of course I did that on my own!" he replied, playing along.

Everyone giggled at how silly they were.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Po commented, "I didn't expect to see a bigger table, that's all."

Shifu and Simon then explained what they found out with Fulvio's confirmation. Po passed out the bowls and then retreated to his own side of the table. Everyone else decided to dine on their food and patiently listen to their tale. Of course, one of the listeners could not contain their excitement once they had finished.

"This is so exciting!" Leo shouted, excited. "Can I borrow one of your stones for tonight? I really want to examine them!"

"No, forget it," Fulvio and Simon both answer in unison while eating.

"I understand…" He sighed, depressed. He dejectedly returned to slurping his noodles.

"Why do you wanna see their stone when you have yours right here?" Mantis climbed on him and pulled the rough stone out of his pocket.

"That's because it's rough. There's nothing in there I can see..." Leo snatched the stone away from Mantis and put it back where it was.

Rebecca was daydreaming while the others were having an important conversation. Her cheek rested on her hand and she smiled wistfully while lost in thought. 'I really hope my animal form is a bird. I don't care which one, just give me one!'

After dinner, the red panda encouraged them to go to sleep. "Tomorrow we will start some basic training for everyone, but mostly for you two," he informed them, pointing to Fulvio and Simon.

Fulvio winced. "Tr-Training?" He hadn’t anticipated anything like that!

Simon, on the other hand, seemed happy and excited. "I can't wait for it!"  
\-----------------------------------

Meanwhile, on the other side of the valley, someone was planning an evil project. The owl was hoping to find a way to extract chi from the humans without being a master. She knew only one person capable of that.

She landed in front of a house in the middle of the bamboo forest, knocked, and waited for someone to open it. The owl waited, then frowned. A thought then struck her. 'What am I doing? I don't need his permission to enter,' she thought before destroying the door, and then walked inside.

A warthog ran to check what happened, hearing the sound of something that's been broken. "Fenghuang?! Why are you here?! Why are you destroying my house?!" he shouted, confused.

"Oh… Taotie, my lovely, dear friend." She approached him. Her beak curled up into a seemingly benevolent smile as she approached the house owner.

"We've never been friends." He tilted his head in confusion.

She sighed, irritated at him for not getting her intentions. She snapped at him, looming over him and showing her true nature. "DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW?!"

"Then just tell me what you want!" Taotie snapped impatiently, yawning. "I was sleeping, you know. Couldn't you show up during the day?"

"Shut up and listen," Fenghuang hushed him. Then, she explained to him what she discovered.

"Hmm… Interesting." He rubbed his chin. "I think I can build something..."

"Are you able to do that?" The owl leaned closer, grinning hopefully.

"Of course I can!" Taotie proclaimed. He raised his snout and struck a proud stance. "This evil genius can build whatever he wants!"

"Yes, finally I―" She began to start some sort of monologue. 

However, the warthog interfered. "But…"

Fenghuang’s abnormally bright features twisted into that of a scowl. "What's the problem!?"

"It won't come for free." The boar raised his hoof and listed his complaints. "You come here, destroy my house, and then I even need to work for you?!"

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I'm sorry." The owl settled down so her feathers laid flat. She appeared calm and pleasant for a moment, her eyes closed and taking in a deep breath. Then, she grabbed him with her sharp talons, lifted him up and yelled, "YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO DEMAND ANYTHING!"

"Fine. Kill me. The weapon will build itself!" the warthog challenged. His eyes bore into hers.

Fenghuang gave up and dropped the beast. He was right, sort of. "Fine. What do you want? Money? Your stupid house?! Do your job and I'll repay you."

"Now we're talking." He stood up and walked away. "We'll see in two days. Good night."

Fenghuang froze in place then chased after him. "No, no, no. Who told you that I was going to give you two days for a stupid weapon? I'm trying to be nice, but don't test me or I'll tear you apart."

"Then what do you want from me?! Only working all night long will I be able to build it," Taotie replied.

The owl nodded, satisfied. "I'm fine with that."

"Next time, keep your mouth shut…" The boar mumbled to himself, yet loud enough that she heard him, and began to work.

\---------------------------------

Deep in the night at the palace, Simon wasn't able to sleep. He was happy to have an entire hut for himself; Fulvio decided to sleep with Po. His thoughts, however, didn't let him rest peacefully, so he went outside hoping to relax somehow.

Leo noticed him passing by. "Simon, where are you going so late?" he questioned from his room. The only thing Simon saw was a shadow through the door attempting to lure him there with him and Mark. Simon ignored him completely, going straight.

"You're not the only who doesn't remember everything clearly," Leo insisted, peeking outside the door. 

Simon stopped and turned to him, slightly interested. "How many memories?" he asked, staring at him coldly.

Leo thought about it for a moment. "One month, more or less…"

He was surprised to hear a precise time. "How could you…"

"My clothes."

Simon lost the small fragment of interest. The reasons that brought him to say that were useless to him. "At least you remember where you belong…" He walked away, leaving Leo alone to his thoughts.

Leo came back inside, sliding the door closed. "I feel so sorry for him. I didn't know he lost everything…"

"It's his problem. Why do you even care?" Mark asked, laying on the bed.

"Because we're friends?" he simply replied.

The solitary man didn't know what he was talking about. "Friends?" he repeated, showing his lack of basic knowledge.

"You sound like you never had one in your life…"

Mark growled. He had been treated like an idiot twice. Mark shouted from irritation, "I'm still alive! You know what this means?!"

Leo tilted his head, then giggled, "What?"

"You don't need a friend to survive, that's all." He gave Leo his back, facing the wall.

Leo couldn't hold back laughter upon hearing that phrase.

"What's so funny about that?!" Mark quickly turned back to him, embarrassed. The corners of his mouth were downturned into a frown.

"Because you really don't know what a friend is!" Leo replied. "I thought you were joking..."

"I told you! Who needs a friend?! I just need to drink, eat, and sleep! This is how we survive!"

Leo turned serious. That kind of speech wasn't healthy. "Mark…" He stared at him. His eyes searched his form for answers. "Do you actually have a family?"

"If a family is made by one element, then yes, I have one." His tone saddened with each word; saying that aloud clearly hurt him.

"If you want… we can make your family grow." Leo put himself under the sheets. "Good night."

Mark stared at him wordlessly. Something weird was happening inside his chest. This was the first time he experienced anything like it. But, whatever it was, he didn’t dislike it. "Good night," he replied, still thinking about what just happened.

\--------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the girls's hut, Rebecca and Emily were sharing some moments. They were trying to get to know each other better.

Emily giggled. "I have to admit, I was dying when Simon literally shoved Po into the wall."

Rebecca nodded, but she wasn't listening. Her mind was elsewhere. "Yeah, sure… I saw that."

Emily raised an eyebrow, then sat next to her. "What's wrong?"

Rebecca curled up into a ball, her head resting on top of her legs. "It's just… I miss my home, that's all."

"Is someone waiting for you on the other side?" Emily asked, trying to empathize more.

"Just my father." She glanced down. She left the rest to interpretation.

Emily gulped, thinking that she dug where she shouldn't have. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to―"

"It's alright. You didn't know." Then Rebecca straightened and continued, forcing a smile. "She will always be by my side. That's what they always say."

Those words triggered something in Emily's mind: memories, images and feelings. All of them flashed back, frantic and chaotic, one after another and providing no help all. She fell on the floor and suddenly began screaming. It caused a painful headache that wouldn’t go away. Desperately, she tightened the grip on her head and dug her fingers in her hair, but nothing worked to suppress the agony. 

"EMILY!" Rebecca instantly stood up and kneeled down to help. "WHAT'S WRONG?!"

"HEY! IS EVERYTHING OKAY?" Leo asked from his hut, hearing the scream.

Rebecca's voice trembled. "I-I don't know! Emily's suffering and I don't know what to do!"

Emily grabbed her shirt and slowly pulled herself up. "I'm fine..." She panted. Her eyes were staring at nothing in particular, but they were wide with terror. "It's over..."

"Do you need help?" the boy asked. He was at the entrance to the girls’ hut, his silhouette standing out amidst the darkness of the outside.

Emily tilted her head even if he couldn't see her. "No, no… I'm fine. It was only temporary..."

"I'm sorry," Rebecca stated, bringing her back to her bed. "It's my fault… isn't it?"

"Of course it's not!" Emily smiled back at her to ease her worries. "Don't be sad, okay?" She caressed her face. "I'll do my best to support you."

Rebecca hugged the taller girl. "Don't scare me like that anymore!"

Emily gently pat her head, but stopped suddenly when she noticed that Rebecca was crying. She gawked. "I literally just said don't be sad!"

"I'm sorry..." She smiled, wiping off her tears. "I'm very emotional..." 

She eventually settled down. The two girls both smiled to set each other at ease. However, they were both well aware how they each had weaknesses. They stared off into the night. It was a question of how much power their weaknesses held over them.

\----------------------------------

Elsewhere, Simon walked towards the temple where he shapeshifted into the crocodile, starting to train alone. After some minutes of panting and sweating, one of his punches was blocked by Tigress.

"What are you doing?" she questioned. She held his fist securely in her paw and eyed his stance.

"Can you not see for yourself?!" he snapped, slightly annoyed. "I'm training!"

"You're wasting energy and time," she scolded. "Go to sleep! Tomorrow we will begin!"

"I exploit every moment!" Simon replied, trying to hit her with his other fist.

She blocked that, too. "Give me a good reason."

"This is the only thing I can do," he breathed out. "They took away everything from me."

Tigress sensed some pain in those words and let him go; a simple speech wouldn't push him to go back. She then relented, releasing his fist and stepping back. "Then let me teach you something." The tiger then assumed a combat stance.

"Do you want to fight?" He was waiting for that. His tail lashed, before rushing for her. "I'm coming!" 

Tigress dodged and blocked every single punch and kick from him. It was evident there was a huge skill gap between them. While he threw out his fists and feet, she dodged fluidly and parried when she needed to. She wasn't fighting back. "Focus! Don't get mad if you can't land any hits!"

Simon tried to relax his body. He deeply wanted to hit her at least one time.

"Tell me your reason to fight!" she shouted at him. All this anger, and for what? He couldn’t throw out attacks if there was no purpose behind them save to cause pain. That was not the way of a master. 

His eyes shot open. That was an unexpected question. It caught him off guard, and so his attacks slowed. His attacks became clumsy and unsure of themselves. "I don't know," he admitted.

Tigress seemed irritated to hear that. Now she fought back. She reared her fist back, then struck him in the stomach with resonating impact. Her words became a parting gift. "You won't EVER win a fight without it! Good or bad, everyone has and must have a reason!"

The crocodile collapsed on the floor in a heap, not able to speak. His mind needed to register the pain. His maw was opened wide, panting to regain the breath she stole. He was defenseless not just to her fists, but to her words. He had no choice but to listen.

"The motivation; it's the first step," she explained. The kung fu master loomed over him. She brimmed with purpose, which was something he did not have in this moment. "Find a reason to stand up again! Fight your own pain!"

Simon knew... He knew what she meant. He stood up again, still suffering and sweating. His stance staggered once he regained his sense of self. The darkness of the night cast his features in shadow. However, what was visible was the edges of his panting maw curled upwards into a grin. He declared defiantly, "It's not over yet!"

"I'll ask you again... WHY DO YOU FIGHT?!" she yelled, dashing towards him again. She wanted him to find his purpose. She wanted him to fight. She wanted him to win!

"My reason…" He outstretched his arm towards her. He ducked his head. His reason… He knew what it was now. He knew why he had to fight. They were important, and he would do anything to get them back again, even fight! Simon roared into the night and declared into the darkness, "I fight for my OWN MEMORIES!"

Tigress’s eyes widened. She faltered, giving up the idea of fighting back. Simon was still trying to break through, but any attempt was a failure. Until a revelation struck him, that is. The crocodile waited for her to block both of his fists, then used his tail to make her fall on the ground. With his sharp fangs pointed at her neck, Tigress couldn't move or else they would have pierced her. His eyes gleamed from what little light there was, proud and satisfied with this victory.

"That's a really weird reason," she commented, ignoring fangs at her throat that could pierce her at any moment.

"It's the truth…" he explained. "I don't remember anything… Who is my family? Where do I come from? My mind is empty…" Simon felt lost without them.

"And you think this will help you recover it?" She glanced at the daggers pressed against her fur.

"Do I have other choices?" He freed her from his fangs and stood up. Looming over her, he outstretched a hand to his guardian and mentor.

Tigress’s eyes averted from him, saying, "Who knows? We can't predict the future, so maybe you'll find something more important." Silently, she took his offered hand and came to a stand. Then, she promptly turned with a sway of her body, her back to him and departing with a single wave of her paw. "Good night, Simon."

"Wait!" he shouted to his partner, calling her back. "Why did you let me win?!" Simon pointed out, knowing how she allowed him to put her down.

"You don't need an answer for that." She grinned with a swish of her tail, leaving him behind to discover the answer for himself.

Simon stared after her as the shadows closed in, as if they sought to amplify his loneliness. However, he was not completely alone. Tigress had left him with a purpose. Emboldened by this revelation, Simon trained further into the night to ride out as much of the energy this purpose could give him, until he could no longer fight his exhaustion. Even amnesiac warriors needed sleep.


	7. Sneaking away

Taotie worked all night. In the morning, his first prototype of chi extractor, as he called it, was finished. "The evil genius strikes again!" the warthog shouted, happy.

Fenghuang woke up after hearing his loud noises. "Is it done?"

"You can wait for a better version, otherwise this one should be fine." He handed over the gun.

"How does this work? I have to shoot, then what?" the owl asked impatiently.

"Listen carefully. This is a prototype. It won't be able to shoot more than five times," Taotie explained.

"You'll make another one. That's not the problem." She grinned.

"If my theory is correct, successfully hitting a human will drain all their chi, but I don't know what happens if you hit one of us."

Fenghuang seemed interested to find out. "You deserve some rest, don't you think?" She pointed the gun at him.

"Wait!" He slowly walked backwards, raising his hooves. "What about more guns?! You need me!"

She moved closer to him. An eerie grin appeared on her face. "Don't worry, you won't die! It's just for fun!" Her new gun brimmed with energy, then fired.

Taotie was struck by the beam, and he screamed in pain. He could feel the energy being sucked from his body. It flew out into the whirlpool that was the gun. The engineer then fell to the floor, unconscious. 

"That's all?!” she yelled, upset and berating the fainted warthog as if he could somehow listen. "I hope it works! For your sake!" She flew away towards the village.

\----------------------

Shifu, like he did everyday, walked through the hallway and proceeded to wake up everyone earlier than normal.

"Wake up, students!" he shouted outside the rooms. "We have a lot of things to do this morning. We'll start sooner than normal!"

The five stood up from their room like they always did when their master called them, but Po didn't join them.

The red panda slammed Po's door and commanded angrily, "PO, I TOLD YOU TO WAKE UP!" Then, he took some deep breaths, and his anger ebbed. He cleared his throat. "You have important business today."

Last night, Fulvio had asked Po if he could sleep with him, precisely on top of him. Po agreed… But, in that very moment, he forgot. He abruptly stood, causing him to throw the human to the floor.

"I'm sorry Master…" Po yawned. "I'm up!" Then he realized that he pushed Fulvio face first on the ground. His eyes widened, and he emerged into a panicked state. His paws waved wildly. "I'M SORRY! I usually sleep alone!" He picked Fulvio up and sat him down properly.

"We'll see you in the training hall within five minutes, not a moment longer." Shifu turned his back to the door and walked away.

"Don't worry, I understand." Fulvio sighed to himself. He had been enjoying the warmth of Po’s fur while he slept. He then raised his head and opened the window. 

Po watched Fulvio for a moment. "What are you doing?" he asked, thinking it odd.

"This?" He pointed outside. "It's a shortcut to the training hall," Fulvio explained, smiling at him.

Po rubbed his head, thinking about it. "I don't get it…" He peered out the window to see what the human was talking about. There wasn’t a secret shortcut to his knowledge.

"Give me your paw. I'll show you," the human replied with an ominous smile.

"O-Okay..." He nodded uncertainly. The panda lent the human his paw. He decided to trust him.

As soon as he placed his paw in his hand, Fulvio shapeshifted into a panda and threw him out the window. Po bounced a couple of times before landing in front of the humans' hut below.

"This is a time I should say, ‘Don't you dare do this again,’" Po commented, still sprawled out on the ground.

"Sort of." Satisfied, Fulvio walked towards him, turning back into a human.

All the humans exited their huts to check out what happened. "You shouldn't use your power for playing around," Leo scolded Fulvio after opening the door.

"Don't be so harsh on him! That is something I would do as well," Emily said, defending him.

"We should head into the training hall now. Everyone's waiting," Simon reminded before walking away.

Mark ignored everyone and followed them shortly after. The human saw the panda laying on the ground, specifically in the path he was walking. Instead of walking around Po, Mark walked over him. However, he was too light to even faze the panda. It was the thought of doing so that would bother anyone.

"I'm sorry for what my friend did..." Leo apologized for him. Mark simply left without turning back.

"It's alright." The Dragon Warrior stood up. "Everyone has a different way to handle this situation, right? I can't understand how it feels to live in a world you know nothing about."

Leo moved his gaze from the panda to the nonchalant stomper who was still in sight. "I'm trying to help him, but I need more time. I'm sure he wants to change as well."

"I… really don't think that showed the will of someone who wants to change," Emily added skeptically, then crossed her arms.

Rebecca rushed towards the training hall, but not for the same reason everyone was heading there. She stopped next to Mark as soon as she reached him. Along the path, nobody talked. Rebecca had no idea what to say, impulsive as she was. She headed there without thinking of what to do next.

Mark stopped suddenly. The girl did the same. He resumed walking, and she followed. Mark growled, until finally he couldn’t take it anymore. "What are you doing?" he snapped, annoyed.

"What am I doing?" she mumbled, panicking. She floundered for excuses. "Nothing special! Just walking with my dear friend towards the training hall!" She felt uncomfortable knowing that what she just said sounded really stupid.

"Again with that thing…" He looked thoughtful. "What's the point of it?"

The girl’s eyes widened, then she froze for a couple of seconds. She pondered the meaning of his words. 'Is that supposed to be a joke? Is he mocking me? What kind of a question is that?' These and other thoughts came across her mind. "A friend is someone who you can rely on…"

"Really…? I never did that in my life. The only person I'm relying on is me," Mark admitted, showing some understanding for what she said. The mess in his mind wasn't cleared, though.

"Well…" Rebecca grabbed his arm, wrapping herself around it. "You can count me in."

She caught him off guard. Mark winced back, freeing himself from her hold. Afterwards he blushed, recognizing the feeling to be the one he felt yesterday with Leo. "D-Don't do that, okay?!”

Rebecca laughed. In that moment Mark walked faster, leaving her behind. "I'm sorry!" she shouted after him. "Don't be afraid to trust the others! They really care about us! Especially Monkey for you!"

That weird feeling of embarrassment Mark felt soon turned into a guilty one. He should have done that from the start, but nobody actually taught him how to do it.

\------------------------------------

Shifu started to talk as soon as everyone arrived. "Welcome to the hall of training. Here you all will train until you unlock your hidden powers. For now, I'll test these two humans." He pointed his staff at Simon and Fulvio.

Simon turned into a crocodile. "I'm ready for anything. Are we going to fight?" 

"Please go easy on me!" Fulvio begged for his life, worried.

"Me?" Shifu's eyes widened when the human said that. "This is a misunderstanding. I won't fight you," he accurately stated.

Fulvio breathed a sigh of relief. "For a moment I thought I was going to fight…"

"You'll fight each other. That's what I wanted to say." Shifu cut in, crumbling Fulvio's dreams.

"I don't know anything! Zero! Nada! What do you want to see!?" he panicked, fumbling an excuse.

Shifu faced Fulvio. "Do you think Simon is a kung fu master?"

"Fine… I give up. I'll give it a try." He consented and sighed, shapeshifting into a panda.

The wise master started the fight, but no one moved. The panda clearly didn't know what to do. The crocodile, in contrast, had no reasons to not attack him.

"Would you like to start?" Shifu inquired, slightly irritated.

"I was waiting for him to attack first," the crocodile replied. "Look at him; he's shivering."

Fulvio winced. "I am in no condition to attack first! Just make this quick, okay?"

"This is so boring…" Mark stated disinterestedly. He sighed and shook his head. His thoughts were clear. 'I have no reasons to stay here any longer,' he thought, leaving silently.

The red panda noticed him, though. He glanced over to Monkey, then the door, communicating with his eyes. The simian bowed and headed outside.

"Ok, you know what? You're right." Simon grinned and rushed towards Fulvio. "I'm coming!"

\----------------------------------

Mark, meanwhile, was leaning against one of the columns outside, lost in thought.

Monkey finally reached him. "Hey, what's going on? Why are you outside?" 

"I want to be alone. That's how I always was. Let me be alone." The human turned his head away, as if he didn’t even wish to look at the monkey.

"I can't."

Mark turned his head to him. “Huh?” It was as simple as turning away, wasn’t it? He didn’t understand why he had to be here besides taking orders. 

Monkey raised his head and stared seriously at the boy. He was the most serious Mark has ever seen him. "No one deserves to be alone. That's awful. I know how it feels like."

Mark gritted his teeth together. His face was drawn in shadow, and his fists trembled. "Do you understand that I lied from the beginning?" he hissed between his grinding teeth. The human was trying so hard to push him away.

"About what?"

"About everything. I don't like this place. I don't like being here. I don't like being forced to live with you people."

Monkey frowned. "Like it or not, you're here now. Your presence is necessary. You probably won't care if our world or yours get destroyed by some creature trapped in another dimension, but you have to because if these two worlds die, you'll die with them." Monkey forced him to accept the simple and plain truth since he didn't know how else to convince him to get back inside.

Mark didn't reply. Monkey waited until the human walked inside silently. The simian felt guilty, but couldn't think of a better solution.

"I thought you guys were fighting. What's that? A dance?" Mark mocked as soon as he entered the training hall.

Simon was struggling to even catch Fulvio. Not because his opponent was a good fighter and easily dodged, but because the panda was running away.

"Are you going to fight back or what?!" Simon yelled at him.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?! I don't know anything about fighting!" Fulvio cried out with a tired tone.

"Fine. I won't waste time with you!" The crocodile, instead of continuing to try, grabbed him and threw him inside the training course on the rolling logs. Then he activated it.

Fulvio struggled to keep some sort of balance, but they were too fast! He flew away, landing in the section with the barbed logs. Fulvio tried to stand without touching them. However, he knocked into one accidentally, creating some sort of chain reaction. They began to strike him countless times everywhere. "Help..." the panda whispered, in too much pain to speak.

"I have to help him!" Po stood up, preparing to intervene. He couldn’t bear to stand by while his friend was in pain.

Tigress grabbed his arm. "Stop. Don't interfere."

"I… I remember this." Po whispered, biting his lip. "This makes me feel sad. I can't look at it..."

After a while, Fulvio successfully escaped, crawling out and breathing a sigh of relief. He was covered in bruises. "Please, can we stop now?"

Simon reached him and helped him stand up. "You know that we didn't even fight yet, right?"

"I'm not a warrior! I-I don't even know how to punch someone!" Fulvio groaned.

In the meantime, what they didn't notice was that they were still inside the training course, just another section of it. They were in the section with the spiked logs hanging from the roof. They were slowly swinging upon them until one went down close enough to hit Simon, who wasn't looking.

"WATCH OUT, SIMON!" Fulvio put himself between Simon and the log and punched where there weren't any spikes. He broke it, but screamed in pain shortly after. The log, meanwhile, shattered into a million pieces, the wood chips clattering against the floor.

The crocodile frowned at him when he turned around. He was surprised, but also dismayed. "What kind of sick game are you playing with me?!" he screamed. "You told me that you don't know how to fight, yet you saved me by breaking that with one paw!"

"I… I don't know! I did that without thinking! I wanted to save you!" Fulvio commented shyly.

Some fragments of the spiked log Fulvio broke fell towards The Five and the humans. Something triggered Mark to rush and shield Rebecca with his body, but made it look like he was just passing by. He grimaced with his arm raised over them to shield their heads. The debris then clattered to the floor harmlessly.

"That was very nice of you. Thanks," Rebecca noted, smiling at him from under his arm. "And you said you didn't care."

"Don't get confused by appearances. I didn't do anything special," Mark replied, pretending to be cold. After a moment, he turned towards Monkey and saw him with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

Shifu started to talk to the humans again. "You learned your first lesson, young student. Maybe two," he specified, nodding at Fulvio. He then turned. "Tigress told me that you, Simon, already know about the fighting reason."

"Why didn't Shifu teach me that too when I arrived?" Po whispered to Tigress.

"Because I never wanted to show you anything." Shifu overheard him and answered for Tigress. "For me you were just a burden, then all those things happened with one day for training you… I needed to speed up."

Po frowned, but he knew that already, making it easy to just let it go.

"Is he saying that my fighting reason is to protect the others?" Fulvio thought out loud. "I'm not so sure about that…"

"Your second lesson is to not trust your mind too much. You need to keep a perfect balance of both."

Shifu sent the humans away, concluding their first lesson to have breakfast while The Five and Po began their daily chi training.

"Who wants to cook?" Leo asked the others.

"I want to do it! I have something special in mind!" Rebecca stood up, walking towards the kitchen stove. "Mark! Come with me! I need some help!"

"Uh?! I've never cooked!" he complained.

"Who cares? I need some help. Trust me, it will be fun!" she said, bringing him along. The man couldn't argue; he was already almost there.

Fulvio didn't follow them inside the kitchen. Instead, he turned around and headed outside, mumbling some sort of excuse about going to the bathroom. What he really wanted was to be alone for bit; he was not used to this and what had happened disturbed him.

"Where are you going?" Someone spotted him walking down the thousand steps.

"Me?" he laughed awkwardly. "I was going to the bathroom!" He quickly turned around like that was the right way.

Emily teased him, pointing to where the bathroom actually was. He didn't turn. "I hope you know that you failed twice."

"That's because I was going to… get back my stone, yes! It fell down and it could be tragic if I..."

"Please stop," the girl cut in. "Just tell me the truth."

"I wanted to visit the village again… and maybe later ask for something to eat at Po's dad's," he admitted, walking back and giving up the idea.

She stopped him. "And now why are you going back? I never said don't go..."

He blinked. "Really?"

She nodded. "But I want to come along," she whispered.

"Fine. I have a very special place for you that is rather unique, just for you." The panda picked up the famous crate.

She frowned, looking at it. "Are you serious? Do I really have to get in there?"

"Well… Do you have a better idea?"

Emily muttered, accepting it. "But at least let me walk down the stairs alone..."

Fulvio agreed, probably to not burden himself carrying her the whole way down there. "Sounds good to me."

They didn't talk. They had different reasons to be there; however, similarly, both wanted some time alone to think about what happened so far.

"When did it happen?" he asked shyly, breaking the silence. It felt awkward to be around someone yet not talk; it was weird for him.

"I don't remember it clearly…" she admitted. "It probably wasn't important…" Her tone slightly changed when she said that. Maybe she was hiding something, but Fulvio wouldn't know.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have…" He instantly tried to apologize.

"No, no. It's okay." She smiled. "You wanted to talk, am I right? But as far as I can see, you're bad at it."

Fulvio blushed. Because of his strong shyness, he fell silent.

Emily noticed she messed up. She quickly turned to change the subject. "We arrived..." She pointed towards the box. "Time to get this over with..." She gulped nervously. This wasn’t going to be pleasant.

\------------------------------------

"Good morning," Fulvio said as soon as Po's fathers saw him walking inside. 

"Good… morning?" Li Shan repeated, confused to see him there.

The goose peeked outside, seeing him approaching. "What are you doing here alone? Where's Po?"

"Yeah… ‘Alone,’" Emily said, mumbling inside the box. Fulvio, alarmed, glanced over them hoping they didn't hear anything.

"I bet he's still training at the palace!" Ping sighed. "These days he shows up less and less."

"C'mon, don't put yourself down." Li stated encouragingly. "He promised to stay with us every day the next holiday."

"I know…" Ping complained. "But I can't wait so long!"

"We were going to eat something." The older panda turned towards the kitchen. "Do you want to join us?" he asked the human.

Fulvio was going to answer, but Emily did it from inside the box, making it awkward. "Yes! I'm starving!"

"I told you to stay silent!" he whispered back.

"Why?!" she shouted even louder than before. "Po told me that his parents know about us!" She opened the little prison and went outside.

"That isn't the reason why you were there!" Fulvio stated, covering her with his giant body. "This is a restaurant, you know. Now it's empty because it's morning, but soon enough it won't be! You can't just walk around like we normally do!"

"Oh! Another human!" Ping stared at her, trying to spot every possible difference from the other one he saw yesterday. "You are completely different from the one I met yesterday!"

"It's obvious that I am totally different!" Emily commented, upset. She was taking it personally. "I'm a girl! You saw a boy yesterday!"

"A loud one…" he muttered, trying to keep it inside.

"You're lucky that I eat more than I need to!" Li Shan grinned, walking towards them carrying noodles soups, bean buns, and dumplings on a tray.

"You should eat less! I can't afford a bigger kitchen!" Ping mocked.

While eating together, they shared amongst each other stories of their worlds. They were discussing what they usually did and ate.

"You don't know how much I wanted to laugh." Emily was now telling them about their first day of training. Fulvio's first one, specifically.

"Please, can we talk about something else?" Fulvio's white fluffy panda face slowly turned red.

Li Shan changed topic to something more interesting and serious. "I want you to know that I sent a message to the Panda Village yesterday. We'll probably receive an answer soon."

Fulvio’s face brightened. He clasped his paws over his bowl. "That's great! Thank you! I hope this will help us find more information as soon as possible."

Ping saw that they didn't eat enough, or maybe he's used to watching too many pandas eat. "Do you need something else to eat?"

Li was going to ask for it, but the goose glared at him with a scowl. He instantly gave up, slumping his shoulders.

\-------------------------------

Fenghuang was on her way to the palace, but she didn't seem sure about a direct attack. She flapped her wings mindlessly while she mulled over these issues. 'I can't fight so many people… I need to think about something that will give me some time. A distraction!' The owl then flew back towards the bamboo forest; she needed to get some people on her side.

'Where are those stupid crocodiles when you need them…' she thought impatiently. Her eyes scanned the forest for them, but none of them were in sight. Her features downturned into a scowl. She didn’t have time for this.

Then, a brilliant idea suddenly struck her!

"Oh no! I'm lost! I'm all alone in this scary forest! I have a lot of money and I can be the perfect prey for the bandits! What will this poor, little and beautiful girl do now?" She tried to make her voice more “cute,” but it turned out pretty badly.

Fung fell for the trap anyway and attacked her. Their skills didn't compare. She was much stronger than him. After blocking his first attack, the owl easily put the crocodile down, knocking him into the ground with her sharp claw.

"You're not a poor little girl!" he tried to talk, but she was choking him. "Nor a beautiful one!" She pressed down, suffocating him more.

Seeing that, the other crocodiles hid, scared. A grin spread across her face after seeing this. She said, "I have a question for you. Do you care about your life?" Fenghuang she couldn’t help but find glee in torturing others.

Fung couldn't breath. He tried his best to nod back.

"Good boy. I have a job for you!" She released him.

The crocodile inhaled more than usual, trying to fill his lungs and extinguish the pain caused by her. His eyes flitted back to her when she spoke anew. He cringed, but he had no choice but to listen to her demands.

"You have to go to the village with your… uh… junk, and do what you want. I need a distraction! You have to lure all the Five and the Dragon Warrior to you."

Fung did not have any other options; he had to accept her request. "Ok, ok! I'll do it, you stupid mad bird..."

Her evil grin widened, an eerie expression crossing Fenghuang’s face. “Then get to it if you value your life!” She left them with terrified looks on their faces. She raised her wings, then lifted off into the sky. She flew towards the palace once more. The grin never left.

Her evil plan was finally coming to fruition!


	8. Misfortune

It had been quite some time since Emily and Fulvio went missing, and the other humans started to worry about where they actually were. "The breakfast is ready!" Rebecca yelled happily, then looked around, prepared to share her meal with everyone else. "Ehm...isn't someone missing?" She tilted her head.

Simon replied nonchalantly, "Fulvio and Emily didn't follow us here at all."

Mark was more concerned about eating than finding them. "They will eventually show up. Can we eat?"

Leo cleaned his glasses. "Just think about it. Fulvio and Simon are the only ones who can shapeshift, and that means they are the only humans who can leave the palace. Where do you think you would be when you can look around the city as you please?"

Simon nodded. "I should have done the same, Rebecca's making us starve because of how slow she is."

Rebecca blushed, then shouted, "IF YOU WANT TO EAT SOMETHING GOOD, YOU HAVE TO WAIT."

"Don't get so worked up, I was just teasing you." Simon stood up from the table.

Rebecca glanced over at him, wondering what he was doing. "Don't you want to eat?"

"Of course I want to eat, but shouldn't we warn them that Fulvio and Emily are missing?"

Leo agreed, "He's right, I can wait..."

Rebecca shoved him out. "Make it quick then! If my food turns cold I won't forgive you!"

"That's really sad," Mark clearly lied. "Can I eat now? I'll do it for you, but mostly for my stomach."

"Get away from the dishes." The girl intimidated him.

\----------------------------------

In the training hall, Shifu was teaching (after a long time) new lessons. Even if Po knew more than him about chi, he still was wiser and smarter. He could still come up with good ideas.

"Tigress, you have to cover your whole body with your chi!" The old master ordered everyone to do the same.

"Yes, Master!" She shined with gold light entirely.

"That's good. Now, everyone see that? You have to repeat!" He pointed his staff at Tigress as an example.

For Po and the Five it wasn't that hard. They had been training for months and were able to control their chi quite well.

"Perfect. Now I want all of you to do the training course holding your chi-state," the red panda explained. "Po! You will be the first."

Po was doing well, but maintaining that kind of exercise required focus, will power, and great resistance. One needs to keep control of their mind and body, doubling the effort. When Simon arrived, Po was punching and dodging the barbed poles.

"Hey. We have a problem," Simon said quietly.

Po instantly turned to him, ready to stop his training, but Mantis jumped towards him. "I bet he's nothing. Keep working Po!"

The human grinned, ready to see their reactions after what the bug said. "Fulvio and Emily are missing, they're probably wandering in the village."

As he expected, all of them, shocked, surprised, and worried, turned to him. The crocodile smiled, reading their faces filled with concern. Po, distracted by that news, got hit on the cheek from one of the spiked sticks he was punching, and fell to the ground.

Tigress ran outside. "We have to go. They could be in danger."

'Emily, why would you do that?' Viper thought, slithering past the feline.

Shifu blocked Tigress and let Viper proceed. "If Emily and Fulvio are the missing ones, then only Viper and Po should go get them back."

"But they could-" Tigress tried to argue.

Shifu interrupted her, "No, don't forget that there four more humans here in the palace. They all need protection. I don't want more surprises."

The Dragon Warrior stood up, recovering from the hit. "That's okay, Tigress. We got this."

As soon as they left, people from the village were screaming for help. Po walked back, remembering what they all heard, but he needed to be sure. "Are we still going alone or...?"

Shifu sighed, "This changes everything. The valley is under attack, the two humans are there unprotected. Go! All of you!"

The six warriors left towards the village. Shifu and Simon walked back to the others in the dining hall. They quickly explained what was going on.

Mark raised an eyebrow, shocked. "What do you mean they fight to protect the entire village?"

"There's nothing to explain, everything's clear in what Shifu said." Simon glared at him. "They are warriors, they fight and protect the people who live here. They would die in order to bring peace."

Mark blinked. That was unbelievable for someone who only cared about himself. "I'm trying to understand this friend thingy, then the family thingy as well, but I will never kill myself for someone else..."

"So what?" Simon commented coldly. "Since you don't care everyone should do the same?"

Mark turned away, even more confused than before. "I didn't say that..."

Leo saw how brutal Simon was and decided to make things clearer and easier to understand. "Behind this choice isn't your mind because everyone would look out for themselves. Behind this choice are your feelings."

Shifu listened to the entire conversation and waited until the end to do some specifications. "People may help you find the way, but only you can find the answers along the path you're walking."

Mark smiled awkwardly. "That was the least understandable thing I've ever heard since I've been here."

\-------------------------------------------

Rebecca discreetly left the dining hall, trying to catch up with Crane before he left. "WAIT! CRANE!" She called to him.

He was in midair already when he heard her voice, but turned back anyway. "What's wrong? I'm kinda in a hurry..."

"Bring me with you!" she yelled.

Crane landed, but not to do what she asked. "Don't be stupid, this is a deadly serious mission. You can't come with me," he scolded her.

"Please…" She kneeled down. "Leave me somewhere safe, anywhere! Just bring me with you..."

"I...I can't do that, you have to understand." The bird was struggling to say no and the girl clearly saw that.

"Fine." She weirdly gave up and stood. "Then I'll go on my own as soon as you leave."

"Rebecca, please, you're making this harder..." Crane mumbled.

She crossed her arms impatiently. "And you're wasting time."

The bird sighed, lowering his body. "Ok, fine."

"Hurray!" She smiled happily before jumping on Crane.

"I should have known. That was just a trap." He flew away towards the village.

\-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the two fugitives were pretty close to where the bandits started their robberies.

"Emily, do you have any ideas?" Fulvio said to her, peeking outside to check the situation.

"You should have one! You are the one who wanted to come here!" she replied, scared.

Li Shan tried to calm them down. "Run away from the back-door. If they come here, I'll earn as much time as I can."

Fulvio nodded to him. "Thank you," he replied gratefully. He left, dragging Emily along.

On their way back home, Fulvio and Emily bumped into one of the crocodiles that popped out of nowhere. He quickly hid her behind his body as he did before. 'This is bad...this is REALLY bad,' he thought, shivering.

Fung arrived as soon as the crocodile called him. "Po. It's nice to see you." He mistook Fulvio for Po, not seeing his paws that were covering Emily on the back and clearly not looking at Fulvio's feet.

"Oh...I see you finally changed those awful pants you always wear, that blue looks way better." Gahri appeared behind Fung, appreciating his new style.

"Uh...GAHRI COULD YOU PLEASE STOP DOING THIS?!" Fung shoved Gahri away and turned back to who he believed was Po.

'I...I need to get away, but HOW?!' Fulvio was struggling to think of something, but he was too scared to do that.

'Now, as Fenghuag asked, I have to waste as much time as I can. I'll let him chase me! It's brilliant!' Fung grinned, thinking.

"You won't catch me so easily this time, Po! Guys, take everything and run!" He yelled to his friends and started to run away.

Fulvio blinked confused. 'Is he...running away?'

"What are you doing?!" Emily pushed him, whispering, "It's our chance. Who cares about him? Go!"

Fung ran for a while before actually checking if the panda was after him. He didn't understand what was going on! "When he has to do something, he doesn't! Darn it! Fenghuang will kill me," he said, smashing his helmet on the ground.

\-----------------------------------------

Po and the Five found the missing humans at the bottom of the thousand step

"Thank god you guys are safe!" Viper slithered to them, wrapping around Emily.

"I'm sorry. I made you worry," the human added.

"You're safe and sound. Forget about the rest." The snake freed her.

"The next time, bring me with you, too!" Po complained.

Tigress glared at him, crossing her arms.

"I mean…" He cleared his throat. "We have to talk later!" he demanded, faking a serious voice.

Tigress rolled her eyes at the sky, giving up. "We have to go. There's still something that we have to care of." She pointed to Monkey. "Bring them back to the palace. We don't want more trouble."

Fulvio shapeshifted back into a human, and with Emily they walked to Monkey. He grabbed them and climbed back to the palace as fast as possible. Emily thought about what happened before with the crocodiles, their weird behavior and reaction in front of Fulvio. Something seemed off, like they weren't doing what they actually came for. "Here we are." Monkey dropped them close to the palace. "Please wait here. I have to go…"

"I'M AN IDIOT…" Emily shouted, enlightened. "MONKEY STAY HERE," she yelled back.

The simian tilted his head at her, confused. "Is something wrong?"

"The crocodiles were just a distraction to lure you all away from us!" she explained.

"And who made this plan? Fung?" he laughed, teasing her. "He isn't capable of something so complicated."

"Well…what can I say? You're both right!" Fenghuang arrived, landing in front of them.

"Little note for Emily." Monkey waited for her to turn towards him. "I hate when you're right." Fulvio freaked out.

"Go inside! Fast! Call Shifu!" Monkey yelled at them. "I'll protect you."

"Awww that's so cute!" Fenghuang flew towards him, hitting him with her sharp fangs "But…who's gonna protect you?"

Emily was paralyzed, Fulvio pulled her towards the temple, but Fenghuang blocked their way. "Where are you going? You can't leave now! We're playing!" She grinned at them.

"Fight with someone on your level!" Monkey kicked her away, chasing her down.

"You are so annoying! I wanted to keep this for them, but I guess I have no choice!" She pulled out her gun and shot at him. He fell on the floor, unconscious. "And now I have only three more. I'll make them be enough"

"Monkey!" Fulvio cried for help, desperately trying to call him back. "Please, wake up! We need you."

"Nobody is going to save you anymore kid. Now stay still and you won't suffer that much." She approached, holding the gun towards them.

Fulvio didn't know what to do. Fight back? Not even Monkey was able to win. Scream for help? He could lure all the humans outside; that's what Fenghuang wanted. Emily was too scared to do anything; she tightened her hand in his. He had to try! He shapeshifted again.

Fenghuang’s eyes widened, surprised to see those powers already awakened. She seemed excited to see what he could actually do. "Oh…are you going to fight me?" She laughed at him. "I guess it's alright to have some fun beforehand."

The owl flew towards him at high speed, scratching him everywhere. He was too slow to block her blows.

"That's all you've got?!" She seemed disappointed. "This is a waste of time if you can't fight back!" The villain glanced over to the other human. "Maybe I should give you an incentive."

"NO!" He ran to Fenghuang. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" He grabbed her and threw her away with insane strength.

The owl got angry for that and tortured him. "How dare you to interfere!" she screeched, hitting him everywhere.

He used his giant arms to block her attacks, but they still hurt really bad. "DO WHAT YOU WANT TO ME, BUT DON'T TOUCH HER!" He swung his arms to slightly push her away, then as soon as she approached again to attack him he punched her in the face.

Emily somehow woke up from a frozen state she was in when Fenghuang crashed to the ground. She couldn't just stay there and watch him getting killed for her. "SOMEBODY HELP US!" she screamed, using all of her strength.

Fenghuang was tired of playing. That girl was going to ruin her plans. The gun was pulled out and pointed it at her, but Fulvio shielded her, taking the hit.

"FULVIO!" she cried out, panicking.

The reaction was different this time. His body started to shine completely; the lights converged together, leaving his body. They curled into a solid sphere that fell on the ground, rolling away. Fulvio turned back into a human shortly after.

"I'm sorry…this is all my fault…" She ran to him, hugging him.

\----------------------------------

Inside the dining hall, some moments before that happened, the group heard Emily's scream.

"Was that Emily?!" Leo stood up, alarmed.

"Stay here. Don't move. I'll go to check on her," Shifu stated, walking outside.

"You won't go alone. I'm sorry." Simon followed him, even if he insisted to go there alone.

"Take care, I have a bad feeling about this," Leo warned them.

When they got there they saw Emily stumbling away with Fulvio's body and Fenghuang approaching them, holding that weird white orb on her left wing and the gun in her right. Emily was slowly walking backwards until she reached the edge of the cliff.

"Dear, you can't escape anymore! Or...you could, but will you really jump?" She giggled, satisfied, enjoying the moment.

"Stop right where you are, Fenghuang!" Shifu threatened her.

The owl realized that she hadn't much time left, but she still wanted to try to get another one. She shot another bullet towards them, trying to buy enough time to get the girl. Shifu and Simon dodged the laser, but she didn't care; she wasn't aiming at them. "You can't escape! Give up!" She flew closer to make sure that the last shot she had hit Emily.

'I won't waste your sacrifice! Not again!' she thought, jumping off the cliff, dodging Fenghuang's last bullet. Emily was clinging to the ledge, but she wasn't strong enough to stay there long or to climb up again.

Fenghuang was mad. She was greedy. She wanted more! "So you like to be a heroine, huh?!" She shoved Fulvio off the cliff. "Then do things correctly!"

"NOO…" She wouldn't let him die like that, with that little bit of strength she still had she jumped towards him. She did that without thinking, because she couldn't save him or herself from falling to death. "I'M SO USELESS…PLEASE FORGIVE ME…" she cried, falling down. Her chi stone started to shine, like Fulvio and Simon's. She shape shifted, changing form. Her new body was completely different. She was strong, resistant, and agile. Emily grabbed her friend and gripped herself on the wall, stopping their fall.

"Simon, get them!" Shifu ordered. "I'll take care of her." Shifu ran towards Fenghuang, but she wasn't going to fight anymore. She absorbed the chi extracted from the human, unleashing an insane power.

"This is incredible!" the owl gasped, grinning merrily. "That pathetic human was hiding THIS?! I was wrong. One is more than enough for me!" After throwing the broken gun at the red panda, she flew away. Shifu caught it and watched Fenghuang fly away. He couldn't do anything else.

"Grab my hand!" The crocodile handed over his paw, but wasn't long enough to reach her. "Uh...wait, I have a better idea." He turned around lowering his tail instead, which was far longer than his paws. "Ok, I'm pulling you up," he said as soon as he felt her clinging on to it.

Shifu quickly checked Fulvio who was still breathing, but... "This is weird." he commented. Then his eyes noticed the chi stone, changing from green to black.

Emily had too many emotions in one single day. She turned back into a human, panting hard. Her necklace now had a fox shaped form. At the moment, the girl couldn't think about herself. "How is he?! Please tell me you can save him."

The red panda didn't have the courage of telling her the truth. "Please bring him inside. I'll tell you everything later."

 

\-----------------------------------------

At the village, Crane dropped Rebecca on the roof of a house. "Wait here. Don't do anything! I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Okay, okay! No troubles here! I promise!" She smiled at him.

Crane reached the others that were already fighting and chasing the crocodiles.

"Fung! When will you learn?" Po scolded him, "You can't steal! Not under my watch!"

"I'm a bandit, duh! What else should I do?!" he replied, running away. "Guys, retreat!"

Mantis ran faster than everyone there. "Don't worry, I'll catch the big one!"

"Don't let them get away with the stolen goods," Tigress added, punching away some crocs.

It wasn't that hard to catch them all. Mantis tightened them up together. "I guess our job is done! You will go back to the prison for a bit. Again."

Crane had a weird feeling. "I don't know….is that all? I'm feeling like we are missing something."

In that moment Fenghuang flew through, shining and laughing due to her evil achievement.

"And I called it," he added.

They saw that she was running away from the palace. That brought worry and concern upon the group. "We have to go back…" Po called.

"I was thinking the same." Tigress followed him.

Fung tried to struggle free seeing the owl flee. "Come back! I helped you! Now save me!" he screamed to be noticed, but she straight-up ignored him.

"So you know her plan, right?" Viper questioned, glaring at him. "We should bring him with us. Forget about the other crocs."

The five agreed, wrapped Fung up, and headed back to the palace. In the meantime, Crane headed back to Rebecca.

Rebecca was watching the whole thing from afar. Sitting on the edge of the roof she thought, worried, 'How am I supposed to do that? I'm not a warrior, I'm the opposite…' She seemed really bothered by that. 'Isn't there another solution to our problems? Are we forced to fight each other?' She grabbed her chi stone. 'Why am I here? Shouldn't you choose someone who can actually do this?'

"Rebecca!" Crane shouted to her. "I'm coming!"

She stood up and raised her head towards him. The girl waved her hand at him, telling him that everything was fine and nothing happened. Then she slipped. "REBECCA!" Crane shouted, flying faster to catch her.

"I COULD REALLY USE A PAIR OF WINGS RIGHT NOW!" she yelled, closing her eyes while falling.

Golden lights surrounded her; she wasn't falling anymore, "Why am I in midair?" Rebecca asked, turning around before noticing that she wasn't a human anymore. "Am I flying?" she gasped. "I'M FLYING! LOOK CRANE! I'M A BIRD!" She shapeshifted into a little white swan. Her chi stone had now the same form, and like the others, it was hanging around her neck.

"Take care! Flying isn't not that easy!" Crane warned her, approaching.

"I don't think it's so complicated…" Rebecca underestimated it and, shortly after, was tired of all that flapping, losing her balance for some seconds and falling down a bit. "Okay, never mind!"

He caught her. "Here. Let me show you."

"I'm really learning how to fly!?" she asked, awed. "This is a dream come true!" An excited laugh rang through the sky.


	9. Face your pain

Po and the four came back to the palace. Everyone gathered in the hallway outside of Po's room. Waiting for Shifu, the panda locked himself in, keeping the others out. They waited, telling each other what had happened so far.

"Crane, please go get Monkey," Tigress directed, "He should be somewhere outside the palace."

He was about to leave when Mark stopped him. "Please, let me go."

The bird glanced over to Tigress as if she had to tell him whether or not he could go. "When you find him, bring him back to his room. He needs to rest," she explained to the human.

Right after Mark's departure, Shifu showed up. "I'm afraid to tell you all that Fulvio is…"

"No…" Po figuratively melted. "Don't tell that he's dead…" He walked past his master and rushed inside.

"He's not dead," the red panda instantly clarified. "It's hard to explain what happened to him." He looked at them sadly, knowing how much pain it would cause once they heard the rest. "He's like an empty shell. His soul and his powers are inside Fenghuang's body."

Emily was dying; a sword pierced her body. The sword's name was guilt. "I should've helped him." Tears fell down her face. "Instead…I acted like a burden!" she yelled.

As long as they could get back what the owl stole, they would have been able to save their friend. Viper knew that and she tried to make Emily understand it. "Dear, it's not your fault. Everyone makes mistakes." In addition, she cuddled her, wrapping around the girl.

Emily instantly struggled free; that wasn't right for her. "I can't accept this." Despair showed upon her face. "MY MISTAKE MAY HAVE COST HIS LIFE!" The guilt she felt grew further when Emily saw Viper's hopes crumbling off her face, "I...I didn't mean to-" She couldn't even finish apologizing because the pain was unbearable, so the girl shapeshifted into a fox and ran away.

Viper tried to call her back, but it didn't work. Rebecca ducked down and said, "I'll go talk to her. Stay here..." Changing form into the swan, she changed formed into a swan.

\-----------------------------------------

The swan flew all around the area, but the only thing she saw was Mark still looking for Monkey. 'Where did she go...' she thought before hearing someone sob. Rebecca raised her head, searching higher. On top of the palace, barely visible, was the target.

"Emily! You have to calm down!" the bird commented, trying to land without hurting Emily and herself. "Watch out!" She lost balance and crashed against the wall right next to the fox.

If the fox wasn't so shocked and grieved she could have been laughing by now. "Leave me alone..." she demanded, hiding her head between her arms with ears lowered.

The bird sat next to her. "You're not the only one who wants to be by someone else's side you know..."

Emily raised her ears and head, recognizing that phrase. "You don't understand! I should have been the one to die..."

"He's not dead!" she pointed that out, feeling like Emily already gave up.

"It's like he is!" the fox argued, "How should I feel when you protect someone who's not worth protecting?"

The bird grabbed Emily's paws, forcing her to turn to face her. "Don't say that! What do you think he thought when he saved you?"

Emily wanted to let go, but something stopped her. She couldn't hold Rebecca's gaze. "He sacrificed himself for you. Are you going to waste it? You have to stand up now, gather your strength and keep going," Rebecca reassured.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what-"

Rebecca hushed her. "Stop now. I understand it may be hard, but...you're not alone! Everyone's doing their best." Rebecca smiled, pointing out Mark as an example.

The dark skinned human finally found Monkey, who had been hiding behind a column next to the Hall of Heroes. "Don't worry, I've got you," Mark commented, carrying him inside. Luckily for him, Monkey wasn't heavy.

"I'm really proud of him," the swan commented. "He's been trying so hard to learn everything his life didn't give to him."

Emily wiped off her tears. "I know that look."

"W-What do you mean with that?"

"You like him, don't you?" the fox asked, trying to distract herself somehow.

"WHAT?!" Rebecca instantly blushed, turning away. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. I JUST MET HIM. HE'S A FRIEND."

Her not-suspicious-at-all reply made it even more obvious and the fox couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Do you think I'm blind? I saw how your eyes shined when your prince charming protected you inside the training hall."

Rebecca huffed, "I think you're fine. I'll head back now."

"Thank you though," Emily said, following her friend back to the palace.

\--------------------

Po didn't leave his room from the moment Shifu allowed them to see him. Just like Emily, he took full responsibility for what happened to Fulvio, torturing himself by thinking he didn't do enough; that he wasn't there for Fulvio when needed, that he had failed…as a friend.

"Po…" Tigress walked inside, checking on him.

"I'm…alright," the panda replied quietly. "I just need a moment…"

"It's nobody's fault," the feline added, concerned.

Po's mind brought him back to what they said to each other back at the restaurant, to the thousand steps. "I...didn't show you enough how much I care." The panda's face twisted, feeling the damages he couldn't prevent. "I'm a failure, Tigress. How am I supposed to protect all of China when I can't even protect my best friends?!"

"Remember what he did." Tigress patted his shoulder. "He acted just like you."

"I get it, but..."

"You know what we must do. I'll be waiting." She turned around and exited the room.

Po caressed the human. "Yes…I know. Friends help each other when they need it, right?" He was talking to Fulvio hoping that he, somewhere, was still able to hear him. "I'll save you, and that's a promise."

\-----------------------------------

Meanwhile, Mark laid Monkey on his bed. 'I can't understand,' he thought, looking at him. "What's the point of this?"

Leo glanced inside. "How is he?"

"I guess he's fine… Mantis checked him some minutes ago; he's exhausted," Mark explained to him.

"I'm glad to hear that…"

"Why am I here? I'm not like you guys. I won't…ever kill myself for someone else's sake." Mark looked at him, thirsty for knowledge, but Leo couldn't provide any answer on what destiny decided for them.

"Do you think I was...prepared for this? Do you think the others were?" Leo said, feeling the weight of their roles in this world.

"Would you mind...helping me?" Mark asked, uncertain of what he wanted to achieve with that.

"I will be glad to show you the way..."

Shifu walked inside, therefore interrupting their conversation. "Leo. I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" he repeated, surprised. "For me?"

The red panda handed over the weapon Fenghuang dropped. "It's about this."

"This is..." He looked at it thoroughly. "The chi extractor she used, right?"

"If something takes away, that something can give back, too," Shifu explained, "Mantis told me that you are capable of-"

"Yes, I think I can do it," the human cut in.

"Perfect. Now we only need to get some information out of that crocodile," Shifu exclaimed while rubbing his chin, then left the room.

"I'm sorry, Mark." Leo tilted his head. "We'll talk later. I have a weapon to fix."

\-----------------------------------

"Fung, tell us, what's her plan? How did she get that gun?" Viper questioned.

"I know nothing. My mouth's shut." The crocodile turned his face away.

"Don't test me. I never had a good patience against the likes of you." Mantis glared at him, ready to kick his butt.

"And what would you do to me?" Fung taunted them, challenging the bug.

The bug jumped up, landing a hit on his face. "It's always relieving when you hurt someone who deserves it."

"A punch won't be enough to make me talk!" he replied, acting tough, but Fung was clearly suffering for what he did.

"Did he talk?" Shifu arrived, checking the situation.

"I'm sorry, Master. He's not cooperating," Viper explained.

"Are we sure that crocodile is Fung? He usually gives up easily," Mantis asked, mocking him.

"Hey! You tied me up, but I can still hear everything!"

"I understand." The red panda nodded. "We can't force him to talk. Leave him alone; now only time can help him understand the right thing to do."

Mantis and Viper blinked, confused. 'Isn't it important to find out Fenghuang's plan?' They both thought, but did what he asked and left with him.

As soon as they walked outside the room, Simon, who was waiting there on Shifu's request, shapeshifted into the crocodile and took their place inside.

"Oh…" Viper realized. "You always have a backup plan, huh?"

"Fight fire with fire," the red panda wisely replied.

"Or a crocodile with a crocodile." Mantis grinned.

"So..." Simon said, luring attention to him. "You are the famous bandit that everyone is talking about?" Simon added, stopping in front of him.

"Famous?" He winced. "Oh…yeah…I'm popular!" Fung mumbled proudly. "Wait, I've never seen you before!" He examined the weird, black figure.

"What's wrong? You can't even recognize someone from your species?" Simon moved closer allowing the crocodile to see him better.

Fung’s eyes widened, seemingly recognizing someone more than familiar. "You're a crocodile!"

"Thanks for telling me. I didn't know."

"Duh! I mean, you should stay by my side!" he shouted. "Come on! Free me and leave this place."

"I'm not like you." He showed some hatred. "The only thing you want is this, right?" He threw a bag filled with juans at his feet.

"What's this for?" Fung peeked inside as far as he could to look at the money.

"You're a thief, right? If that's what you want, I'll give 'em to you if you tell me everything."

"No money can buy my life." Fung couldn't stop thinking about the owl and her possible reaction.

Simon lifted up him, something triggered him. "Listen carefully: a boy is going to die because of you. The only thing I want to know from you is Fenghuang's plan. We will even set you free. No prison for you."

Fung started to think about it, but still refused.

"I'm sorry. I thought that for just one time in your life, you could've been something more." Simon dropped the crocodile, setting him free.

Fung blinked at him, surprised. That was an outcome he didn't expect.

"Go away!" The black crocodile shoved him out. "We don't need you." The he turned his back to him.

"Fenghuang is heading back to Taotie because she wants another gun. You could go and get her before it's too late." Fung didn't know why he said the truth; a weird feeling led him to.

Simon grinned, pointing at the bag he left behind. "You can keep the money. It's not mine." Then laughed louder, thinking about the real owner.

"Of course I'll keep it!" he muttered back. "This is not a gift! I stole this!" Fung commented proudly.

"Yeah, sure," Simon replied coldly again. "You evil croc, how dare you to do such a thing..."

Fung was heading outside when he suddenly stopped; Simon stood there knowing that something was wrong, "Can I...know your name?"

His serious expression crumbled hearing that out-of-place question. "It's Simon."

"Good to know," The crocodile commented. "I don't think this will be our last time meeting. We will see each other again."

'We will,' Simon thought watching him leave. 'I saw your reaction. There's something you know about me, about this crocodile.' He turned back into a human.

\-------------------------------------

In the Hall of Heroes, the ones who were still able to fight gathered at Shifu's request, sharing the new information they learned. 

"We still have some time." Simon restated what Fung said to him. "I really want to kick her butt."

Simon's necklace was shining, ready to unleash his full potential, but Shifu pointed his staff at him, stopping him from shapeshifting. "I'm sorry, but this isn't a fight you can join."

"What?!" Emily walked past the others and faced their master. "I need to go! He is-"

"This is for your own good," the red panda cut in, "That weapon is too dangerous for you. I let my guard down. I thought nobody knew about you, but I was wrong. Because of me, the village, my students, and you could get hurt."

"You don't understand! This is important..." She tilted her head, begging.

Shifu walked past, ignoring her, and pointed to his students with his staff. "Po, Tigress, Viper and Crane. You are our only hope. You have to capture Fenghuang and bring her back. Leo is working on the weapon she left."

Leo was so focused on his work that he didn't listen to what they were saying. "Hand me the screwdriver," he said to Mantis.

"He's trying to modify the gun; it will undo what Fenghuang did to Fulvio," the bug explained to him, handing over the tool he requested.

"I'm sorry, Shifu, but I can't stay here watching them fix my mistake..." Emily added, turning into the fox.

The red panda’s eyes shot open. "You are forbidden to leave the palace!" he ordered, but was more worried than angry.

The fox hesitated for some seconds then attempted to run away. Shifu caught her, throwing her back inside. 

"I HAVE TO GO! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN HERE LIKE SOME SORT OF PRISONER!" she cried out.

"STOP BEING SO STUBBORN. FENGHUANG MAY HAVE TAKEN A SECOND GUN. I CAN'T LET YOU GO." He pushed her on the ground with his wooden staff.

It wasn't the right moment for a quarrel, but nobody was going to give up. "Please stop…" Po intervened, walking between them. "I know you want to protect them, but she also wants that. I understand it may sound like a bad idea, but I think she should go."

"We will keep her safe. I promise on my life." Tigress swore, supporting her friend.

Viper smiled. "I won't let anyone touch her unless it's me."

Simon decided to use his own lessons against their master. "Isn't this a reason to fight? That's what you told us. I really wanted to go as well, but someone here has a stronger motivation..."

The red panda sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine. If you wish to go I will not stop you, but please take care of yourselves."

"Don't worry, Master! Nothing will stop us!" Po shouted, running away. "Follow me!"

"Po…that's the wrong way…" Crane replied, embarrassed for him.

"I knew that!" he mumbled. "Uh…can you tell me where the right way is?" His face turned red.

Tigress chuckled. "Give me your hand. I'll show you a shortcut."

As soon as Po did, she lifted him up and threw him down the thousand steps.

Emily blinked, confused, and cringed hearing his shouts. "Why would you do that?"

"That's something Fulvio would have done." She grinned. "I thought it would have been a good idea to cheer him up."

"I...don't get it," the girl admitted. "But if you say so..."

"Don't worry too much. He's tough. Sometimes actions are better than words."


	10. Who's the smartest?

Leo was working on the gun. Mantis and Mark were close by, helping, and Simon was chilling on the floor.

"This is an incredible handmade work…" Leo stated, analyzing the weapon. "And this smell..." He sniffed it. "I like it. It means it's a recent creation!"

Mark looked at him, scared. "Stop contemplating his work! That's not why they entrusted you with the weapon."

Leo laughed awkwardly. "I know, it's just I really like everything that's mechanical..."

Mantis changed the topic. "How much longer is this going to take?" he asked, moving the toolbox closer to him.

Leo searched inside, pulled out a wrench, and opened the gun. "I guess a couple of hours… It seems to be in good shape, so, luckily, I don't have extra repairs to do."

"Can't you do it faster?" Mantis hurried. "Who knows what will happen if this gun hasn't been fixed yet?"

"I understand that," the human replied quietly. "But I can't work miracles."

Time went by, and as the others watch him working, Leo didn't show hesitation or worry, giving the others positive vibes that everything was going smoothly. "Time for good news." Mantis climbed on his shoulder, hoping to hear something good.

He smiled. "If someone stops annoying me every moment I'll be able to finish in a couple of hours."

Mantis saw him sealing the weapon; that's why he asked. "But..isn't it-"

"The weapon? Yes, it is." Leo cut in. "That wasn't the hardest part..." he sighed, showing them what he had inside her pocket, wrapped around a handkerchief.

Mantis and Mark stared at it very closely, trying to understand what that was. "Is it a bullet?" they asked.

Leo nodded. "Yes. This is the one that hit Fulvio." He moved it around, showing them that it was broken; totally useless.

"If we don't have any ammo, how can we save him?" the bug asked.

"I saw a laser back there when Fenghuang tried to get me as well," Simon commented, hearing their conversation. "How's it possible that there's a bullet..."

Leo's eyes shined, ready to explain how the weapon worked. “This little capsule created an electric area around itself. When shot, the bullet is so fast that we perceive some sort of laser..." He continued adding details over details until Simon stood up to cover his mouth.

"I think I get it, thanks." He frowned, annoyed.

Mark laughed. "He's such a nerd."

Leo moved Simon's fang away. "Sorry, I got carried away." Then he glanced over the broken bullet, sighing, "If only I had a better bullet, I could finish way faster."

The crocodile’s eyes widened, remembering something. "Maybe we can find another one."

"It's not like you can find them anywhere," Mantis joked.

Simon rose an eyebrow. "Fenghuang shot three times since she got here."

Mark remembered where and when. "He's right; she used it against Monkey and Fulvio, then she missed trying to get Shifu or Simon."

"At least someone here has a brain," the crocodile commented sarcastically.

"Hey, I couldn't know that," Mantis muttered.

Simon turned his back to them, heading outside. "Mantis, come with me. We'll look for the bullet she missed on me." He stopped right before the exit. "Mark, you should get the one stuck on Monkey. Who knows? It may be useful."

\-------------------------------------------

Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane and a fox were on their way to Taotie's house in the middle of the bamboo forest.

"Hey, Emily...you okay?" Crane saw her looking kinda lost, meaning something still bothered her. She hadn't talked at all from the moment they left the palace.

The girl nodded, uncertain, to not cause more problems for them. "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Soon we will be there," Viper reminded them, but mostly the fox. "Get ready."

Po suddenly stopped, causing a reaction until everyone reached him. "I'm tired..." He panted heavily, falling on the ground. "I need a break."

"We're almost there," Tigress commented. "I thought you stopped to prepare some sort of plan."

"Oh..." Po stood up, thinking. "We could go there in stealth mode and..."

"It's a shame that both Monkey and Mantis are not here," Crane commented sarcastically.

"Uh? Why?" Po rose an eyebrow. "Isn't it a good idea?"

"It is," Tigress continued. "I'm not sure about you doing it, that's all."

"Are you talking about what happened in Gongmen city?" He blushed, turning away.

"That was your first and last time I've ever allowed you do that," Tigress specified.

"I...I won't do that again," the Dragon Warrior mumbled. "A friend's life is at stake this time."

"Let's just send Viper to look around the place first," Tigress suggested, glancing at the leaving serpent.

The feline, hiding in a bush, followed her friend with her eyes. Everything seemed too quiet. Fenghuang should have been here already, but they didn't meet her on their way to the forest. She must be here. Viper reported the same things Tigress noticed, more or less.

"There's something odd in here..." Tigress commented, rubbing her chin.

"It may be a trap..." Crane suggested. "She saw us capturing Fung, so she's waiting for us somewhere, ready to attack when our guards are lowered."

"So what are we going to do? Sit here and do nothing?" Po asked impatiently.

"I saw that someone broke down the entrance," Viper added.

"Do you think Fenghuang forced Taotie to work for her?" Tigress guessed.

"Yes, there's no other reason to do so." The serpent nodded.

"Ok, it's time to check it out directly," the feline said, heading towards the house.

"Finally..." Po commented, relieved. "I couldn't take it anymore..."

Tigress walked inside, checking carefully if the owl was there, but nothing was weird; however, there were many surprises around. Taotie's body was found on the ground. She turned around, sending a signal with her paw. After that everyone joined her.

Viper slithered next to her. "What happened?" Then she saw the warthog. "Is he okay?" The snake put her head against his body, worried. "Luckily he's only unconscious."

Po ran past them, lifted him up and shook him several times. "Hey, wake up! Did Fenghuang hurt you? We need your help!"

Crane reached out to him. "Po, don't do that. It's not healthy to agitate someone who's unconscious like that."

Po lowered him down. "Sorry, I thought it would have helped somehow."

Taotie slowly opened his eyes. "Po is that you?" he mumbled, his vision still blurry, but anyone could have recognized Po's shape.

"Uh...yes, sorry about before." The giant panda smiled awkwardly.

"What are you talking about..." he commented, confused, then looked around, seeing the other masters. "What are you doing here?" His voice was very low, he could barely hold himself. Something must have happened.

"We're here because of what you built for Fenghuang." Tigress glared at him, ready to punish him.

That phrase called back the warthog's memories. "That stupid owl! She stole my beautiful work, and then used it against me!"

The fox approached him, having an idea. "And...would you like to get your revenge?"

He laughed. "I don't know you, but if you're here that means she won; there's nothing I can do."

"I don't think so," Emily insisted. "I had an idea, but you must be willing to cooperate with us to make it work."

"Why would I help my enemies like that?!" Taotie complained. "I really don't care what happens to you."

The fox frowned. "You are too farsighted to understand what happened, but not enough to understand what will."

"She'll come back. Are you ready to take her on by yourself?" Tigress crossed her arms, glaring at him.

"A-Alone?!" Taotie shivered. "You're here, you'll help me! That's your job after all."

"I usually help anyone in need, but...you made a mess and the least you could do is redeem yourself," Po added.

"Alright, consider this a truce; Fenghuang has to pay." The warthog nodded. "What's the plan?"

Emily gathered everyone around and explained, shortly, what she had in mind. They seemed to like what she thought.

\-----------------------------------

Mark headed back to Leo first; his task was easier and quicker. He had to examine Monkey's body, not an entire area.

"How did it go?" Leo lowered down the weapon to look at him.

"That was easy," the man stated proudly.

Leo smile, taking the bullet from his hand, yet his smile disappeared and a disappointed look replaced it. "Sorry. This isn’t worse than the one I have, but...it won't work."

"I tried..." Mark commented. "Let's hope Mantis and Simon will find a better one."

"I heard my name. What were you talking about?" Simon said, walking inside.

"I literally just called you."

"So? Did you find it?" Leo raised his head.

"There's nothing around the palace," Simon explained. "But I remember which direction the bullet took when we dodged it, and sent Mantis there to check it out."

Leo nodded. "Okay, thank you for trying." Then he searched for one specific tool among the others in the box Mantis left. He pulled out a hammer, placed the bullets they had gathered on the table, and smashed them into pieces.

"What are you doing now?" Mark questioned, watching his friend work.

"I don't know if Mantis will eventually find it," he said, gathering some specific elements that came out of the destroyed bullets with the pliers. "So I'm preparing a new bullet using what I have. It'll take much more time, but it's better than nothing."

"I heard that you fixed the training course before, then you fixed a weapon you had never seen, and now you're crafting new bullets out of broken ones," Simon said nonchalantly, "Are you some sort of mechanical prodigy or...?"

Leo laughed, covering the fact that he was blushing. Then his expression quickly shifted into a sad one; a painful memory had come forth. "Thanks to my family I have a good amount of knowledge." He picked up the broken shells and cleaned them, "Medicine, physics, mechanics, languages..."

"Do you know all of those?" Mark questioned, tilting his head. "I barely know my name..."

"Your family must have considered your education to be really important..." the crocodile pointed out, leaning against the closest wall.

"Probably more than me..." he whispered.

"What did you say?" Mark moved closer.

"No-Nothing!" Leo mumbled. "I was...judging how good the shells are! Even if Mantis won't find the bullet, everything's going good, isn't it?"

"Leo," Simon called him to draw his attention to him. "Who taught you those things?"

"I had, like, ten private tutors. One for each subject I needed to learn."

"What do you mean private? Are you saying that they were coming to your house?" Mark looked confused. "Didn't you go to school?"

"I went to school for a short period, but my father thought it wasn't what he was looking for..." he suddenly stopped. "Why are we even talking about this?" Leo commented shyly. "It doesn't matter now..."

Simon rubbed his chin, spotting something odd in what he said. "Usually every kid is forced to go school unless under special conditions. What are you hiding? Teachers who were coming to your house, just for you?"

Mark's eyes shined with excitement. "Are you some sort of celebrity?!"

Leo winced hearing him, then laughed. "I'm just an ordinary boy; I'm no different from you."

"Leo, stop lying. I saw your manners, your composure, how everything must be perfectly placed and in order..." While Simon listed down the things he saw, Leo started to sweat.

"Just...don't look at me differently once I tell you, okay?" He sighed, looking away.

"JUST TELL US!" Mark shouted.

"I come from a very rich family and..."

Mark instantly stopped him. "Do you have a mansion?!"

"Uh...yes...?" Leo walked back slightly, nodding.

"A POOL?!"

"Sort of..."

"BUTLERS WHO DO EVERYTHING YOU ASK?!"

"I usually prefer to do things on my own, even if my father forces me to..."

"What?! You're serious?! I would love to have someone who does everything for me!" Mark giggled.

"Thanks for respecting what I asked about not looking at me differently," Leo sighed again.

"What's the point?" Mark questioned, confused. "You can do whatever you want yet you care more about what the others think of you."

"You can't understand...you have something I'll never get..."

"That's kinda impossible since I have nothing..." Mark crossed his arms, waiting to hear what he could possibly have.

"The freedom. You are free."

That answer caught him off-guard. "Well...aren't you?"

"It's been twenty years since my father sealed me inside our mansion, creating a son who would be worthy of something important in the future," he explained, depressed. "I just want to go outside, meet people, make friends and to travel… I'd like so much to take my plane and just leave, but people look at me like I'm different, like I'm from another world."

"Do you hear him?" Mark whispered to Simon. "He has a plane, too!"

"Okay, I get it." Leo resumed his work on the weapon.

"Unfortunately, there isn't a perfect life," the crocodile admitted, "Good things will always bring bad ones. You have to live with them, otherwise you'll never be happy."

Leo didn't stop working, nor did he look at him to reply, but he smiled and understood.

\----------------------------------

"How long this will take?" Crane whispered to Tigress. They were hiding among the bushes outside Taotie's house again.

"Fenghuang could come at any moment, so be ready," Tigress repeated.

"Okay, I get that, but it's been so long," Po complained. "I bet she went somewhere to eat first." His stomach agreed, grumbling. "I should have done the same."

"That's stupid. She would never-" Crane was denying what Po stated, but Tigress hushed the duo. Fenghuang's flapping noise was heard, but the owl couldn't be seen. She lowered down in the bush even more, pushing her friends along.

"HEY TAOTIE!" the owl shouted, landing in front of the house. "I'm back! Hope you've prepared another weapon for me!"

Tigress, Crane and Po shared glances with each other. They were asking when they should attack. Fenghuang was walking inside, but right on the edge she stopped and looked around. 

"Did she see us?" Po whispered.

"If you weren't shaking so much maybe we could have done it better," Crane muttered, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

The owl kept walking inside while they followed her. Viper was ready from the inside to make Fenghuang fall, but she stepped on her. "Do you really think that I didn't notice you, little snake?"

Viper screamed in pain, trying to struggle free. The others, hearing her cry, instantly rushed to help. The owl raised the serpent with her fangs and threw her at them. Crane and Tigress ducked down while Po got hit by his friend.

Fenghuang was able to dodge and block every attack as if she wasn't even trying. She punched Crane in the face and kicked Tigress in the stomach, pushing them both away. "I'm sorry, I can't play with you right now. I have an important date I can't miss." The owl laughed, disappearing inside.

"Wake up you useless pig." She lifted Taotie up, shaking him violently. "You rested enough for today. Now you have to work!"

"Hey!" Emily showed herself, even though her friends prohibited her to fight. "Put him down!"

Fenghuang turned, surprised to see her, but happy at the same time. "Oh...that's very nice of you. You spared me the time to look for you. I thought you weren't so stupid as to come to me so easily."

The very same feeling that stopped her before showed up again; Emily froze. Fenghuang's presence was enough to stop her completely like there was nothing she could have done.

"EMILY!" Viper screamed, reaching for her. Shortly after the others shielded her as well.

"We won't let you touch her," Tigress growled.

"Now give back the chi you stole!" Po added.

"You mean..." Fenghuang surrounded herself with a green aura. "This one?"

Po nodded naively. "Yes, exactly! That one! Give it back."

"That's why she didn't show up before," Tigress commented. "She wanted to train."

"I really appreciate when you assume things on your own, you know. I don't need to explain." Fenghuang smiled, flying at them.

As soon as she used her chi aura, her movements became faster, her attacks stronger. Nobody was able to get her. They imitated her, showing off their training, yet everyone activated a golden aura while only Fenghuang had a green one.

Viper wrapped around Fenguhang's claws, forcing her to fly. Otherwise she would have fallen. Crane flew behind her, holding her wings. When Po and Tigress headed to her, trying to land the finishing blow, Fenghuang's aura grew bigger, setting her free. The panda crashed against a wall with a kick to the face. Then the owl punched Tigress in the face as well, stepping over her.

"Now...where was I?" She looked around, trying to find the fox, as if she didn't know exactly where they were.

Crane and Viper stood up again. The owl grabbed Viper, wrapped her like some sort of ball and threw her into Crane's face. As soon as the bird moved away, Fenghuang was ready to punch his body as hard as she could. Everyone's aura disappeared.

"I really can't believe how easy this fight was." Fenghuang cleaned her wings, approaching the prize she earned. "You really don't understand what kind of power lies within you, but don't worry. I do." Ready to steal her chi, the fox was lifted as they headed to Taotie.

Emily tried to struggle free, but how could she? She didn't know anything about fighting.

"Let her go!" Viper slowly stood up again, weak yet unable to stay still.

"Get out of my way." She was kicked aside.

"Emily..." Viper breathed out, slithering towards the owl.

"You're pathetic, stop doing that. What can you do?" Fenghuang kicked her again. "I defeated everyone at the same time. There's nothing you can do."

The serpent didn't want to give up! "I told her that everything..." she panted, "-was going to be fixed, that we would save him."

"Shut up, I don't care." She kicked her harder, hoping to knock her out definitely.

Those words and what happened struck Emily hard. Deep, deep down within, something moved and replied to her cry for help. Her necklace glowed even brighter than it usually did. "What the...?" The owl walked backwards, surprised. The fox who was in her wing just a second ago had disappeared.

"I can't take it anymore! You're so cruel and cold. You hurt my friends, I'll never forgive you." Emily voice echoed through the house; the owl couldn't identify precisely where she was.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Fenghuang grinned, challenging her.

The fox appeared right in front of her like she was there all along. At first, Fenghuang seemed surprised, but soon enough she went to punch her and her wing went through Emily's body. "WHAT?!" She moved her wing in and out of the fox that was just an illusion.

The real fox appeared behind her, kicking her head. The villain’s head slammed on the floor. 

"How dare you?! Pulling off such dirty tricks." She stood up, ready to avenge herself, but just like before her punch missed and the illusion disappeared.

Six of Emily’s clones surrounded the owl; she wasn't able to understand which one was real or not. She unleashed her chi trying to eliminate them all at once.

Po, Crane and Tigress stood up again and saw, amused, what Emily was doing. They had never seen such a particular and unique way to use chi, if that was chi. Regaining their bearings, they ran towards the owl once more. Fenghuang was too confused to focus on everyone; they were finally able to put her down.

"Seems like you've lost." Tigress grinned.

"Don't be so sure about that," the owl threatened.

Tigress’ eyes shot open, knowing that she was up to something. The feline grabbed her friends and moved away as Fenghuang created some sort of explosive aura that didn't destroy anything around itself, but wounded every warrior with an active chi around it. The damages weren't serious thanks to Tigress, but they were all wounded and weakened from the fight.

"Isn't it amazing?" the owl laughed. "I can even heal myself!" She stood up like nothing ever happened to her.

Emily was still hiding somewhere, but her clones disappeared. Fenghuang quickly turned her head in the opposite direction, glaring towards the nothingness, then grabbed something who wasn't visible and tried to crush it. "So that's what you can do," the owl commented, enjoying her screams. "Even if you can turn invisible, I was still able to hear your footsteps."

The others tried once again to help her. Fenghuang threw Emily against them. "It's been fun, I really enjoyed it, but it's time to end this." She glowered at them, smiling. "I won the game."

The fox panted heavily. Her necklace stopped shining; everything seemed lost. "We knew all along we couldn't stop you..."

Something behind the owl moved, but she didn't notice.

"I technically won from the beginning." Emily raised her paw.

Fenghuang looked at her, confused. The truth reached her brain too late. She turned around just to see Taotie shooting at her with another gun. "THAT'S FOR MY HOUSE!" the warthog screamed right before she passed out.

"It's over…" Emily sighed, lying on the ground as if it were a bed.

The others slowly stood up again, except for Viper. "Shouldn't Fulvio's chi be on the ground or something?" Po questioned, ready to bring back his friend.

"This is the first prototype of my weapon." The warthog showed it proudly. "Unfortunately this only works as a stun gun. Now get that stupid bird and leave this place!"

Po started to tie her up. "We'll bring her back to the palace before she wakes up."

"I just hope Leo's done…" Tigress added, worried. "Crane, fetch Viper and fly back to the palace. Bring Emily with you. We'll catch up later."


	11. Triumph

Crane was carrying Emily and a wounded snake back to the palace, flying as fast as he could.

"Viper..." Emily sighed, worried, holding her friend close. "I hope you'll forgive me... I let everyone down..."

Crane complained; he couldn't tolerate how much she blamed herself. "Don't be. You did something great. We're proud of you."

The fox slightly raised her head from Viper. "I believe I could have done more..."

"Wasn't what you showed us today enough?" the bird muttered, "You turned invisible, then the clones...was that a chi technique? Where did you learn it?"

"Thank you, but it wasn't me..." She removed her necklace and showed it to him. "That's what saved us..."

Crane tilted his head. "Maybe it is, but your love triggered it."

Emily smiled, putting her stone on. "Thank you."

 

\----------------------

Meanwhile, Po and Tigress were moving an unconscious Fenghuang. They tied her up against a log and the two warriors carried her, holding the edges.

The panda panted, trying to get a break. "I always hated weight lifting!"

"You can't do anything that involves climbing or lifting; this time you have to strive!" Tigress mocked him, accelerating. It forced Po to move faster.

"That's not it!" Po mumbled, "The only things I’ve done these days was carrying around people and excessive amounts of food. I deserve some rest..."

Tigress chuckled. "I would have carried her alone, but you saw it..." The owl turned out to be weirdly heavier than she was. "Maybe that gun wasn't just a stun gun as he called it..."

"Taotie said it was a prototype, but who knows. He could have lied..." Po breathed out, trying to keep up.

\---------------------------------------

"Look what I found!" Mantis shouted, walking inside the training hall. He handed over a little, slightly damaged, white ball.

Leo widened his eyes. "That's it! This is perfect!" He quickly grabbed it, opened it, and checked inside.

"So...how long it will take?" the bug asked again, seeing his friend ignoring them.

"Ten minutes." Leo muttered, shoving him away. "Let me finish..."

Rebecca walked inside, handling a ladle. "Hey guys..." she stepped closer shyly. "Sorry about...going away without telling you anything."

They didn't listen and didn't notice her approaching. "HEY LISTEN TO ME!" she shouted.

Leo raised his eyes, then quickly moved them back to the bullet. The others turned their faces at her, confused about what she was doing. "Is something wrong?" Mark asked.

"I have a better question," Simon cut in, "What were you doing with that thing?"

The girl didn't know what he meant, then she glanced at her hand. "Oh...I thought I laid it down..." She tilted her head. "Forget about it. I wanted to apologize. I kinda freaked out and left, but now I feel better."

"Were you cooking again?" the brown skinned human asked, turning to face Leo. "We skipped breakfast, so..."

"That's the only thing you care about!" Rebecca huffed, upset. "But...yeah. I usually cook to chill down..."

"Don't blame yourself for leaving," Simon added coldly, "You wouldn't be useful in this situation." Rebecca seemed offended, but the human hadn't finished speaking. "At least you did something to help us all."

The girl frowned, not sure how she should have taken it. "Uh...thanks?"

"So? What did you cook for us this time?" Mark smirked, heading over to her.

Rebecca smacked his hand with the ladle. "I didn't cook for you," she clarified, "I prepared them for my injured friends."

"I AM injured!" he said, showing his recently wounded hand.

"That doesn't count." She smiled nonchalantly. "Has Leo finished?" Rebecca asked, peeking on her friend's work.

"Please stop..." Leo begged, "Once I've finished I'll tell you."

Simon couldn't hold himself back and mocked him. "Is it done now?" Then laughed looking at his annoyed face.

"Not funny," he commented coldly, putting the bullet inside the weapon.  
\-------------------------------------

Crane and Emily were the first ones to arrive. The fox headed towards Viper's room to let her friend rest; then they headed to the training hall.

"GUYS!" she screamed while walking in. "THE WEAPON! IS IT READY?"

As soon as they saw them, Rebecca ran to hug her friend. "You okay? Did you get her? Where are the others?" The girl machine-gunned Emily with questions.

"We did our part..." Emily commented, struggling free. "That's what matters now."

"What happened?" Simon instantly questioned, but it sounded more like a demand. He needed to know how it went.

Crane commented, reluctantly, "It didn't go as well as planned, but...Po and Tigress will be soon here with Fenghuang."

Emily went towards Leo, eager to know if everything was ready. "Leo."

He sighed, trying to not rage on her. "The bullet is done, the weapon as well. I'm checking if everything is in order."

"Ok, thank you Leo." She nodded, stepping away.

Mark complained, "You aren't fast enough. That's what happens when someone takes it easy."

Leo snapped, "I'M DOING MY BEST HERE! I WON'T STAY HERE ANY LONGER LISTENING TO YOUR WORTHLESS ACCUSATIONS ABOUT MY WAY OF WORKING!"

Simon chuckled in the background while the others looked at him, surprised. "The weapon is ready," Leo added, recovering his composure and talking like nothing happened in the meantime.

"Leo..." Mark said, pointing at his stone.

"I guess I went too far," he admitted, thinking that reaction was for his behavior. "You don't understand how hard it is to do such-"

"What are you talking about?" Mark cut in, "Your necklace, Leo, was shining some seconds ago before turning off."

"R-REALLY?!" he mumbled enthusiastically, looking at his stone, but so much excitement distracted him and the weapon slipped.

Time froze and everyone was looking at the falling gun; if it broke, they wouldn't be able to save Fulvio and bring things back to normal.

"If it so important to you then you should be careful with it, am I right?" Mark said, catching the weapon with a nonchalant expression, as if he didn't even think that it could have been broken.

Everyone felt relieved that nothing happened and Rebecca hugged him happily. "Thank god you saved us."

"Did I?" Mark blinked, confused.

"I'll wait for them outside..." Crane explained, "They'll probably need some help climbing back here with Fenghuang."

Simon followed the bird. "Coming."

Mantis wanted to come along, but Rebecca grabbed him. "Sorry, but I need your help now."

The bug wanted to struggle free, but he had a feeling that he couldn't oppose her request. "This is kidnapping! Hey! I want to help differently! Not by cooking or playing doctor!"

\-----------------------------

Po and Tigress were on the middle of the thousand steps; the Dragon Warrior couldn't continue and Tigress was trying to return on her own.

"I'm coming Tigress!" he shouted, panting heavily. His body was soaked completely in sweat.

"I know it's getting harder..." she added, "Her body is getting heavier. I need your help..."

"PO! TIGRESS!" Crane shouted as soon as he found them, landing next to his friends.

Simon got off Crane and reached Po. "Okay, get up. We're here now."

They lifted Fenghuang up together and climbed back to the palace.

"WHY IS SHE SO HEAVY?!" Simon cried out, surprised.

"It's probably the chi she absorbed. Maybe it's fighting back somehow?" Po guessed, panting.

Tigress noticed the owl moving. "She's waking up! We have to bring her to Leo."

Crane tied her against a column while the others called their friends who were waiting inside the training hall.

Tigress headed outside, ready to shoot her. "Time to end this." She aimed at Fenghuang and clicked, but nothing came out. "What's wrong?!" She checked the weapon to witness some lights appearing. It was charging.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't do better with the time I had," Leo explained, "We have only one chance and it takes three minutes to load."

She threw the weapon back to him. "Then this is your call."

"What?!" Leo commented, shocked, "I can't do it!"

"You have to, I can't-"

"Tigress!" Po called her, seeing the owl waking up.

"CRANE, SIMON, EMILY! WE HAVE TO HOLD HER!" Tigress ordered, running back to Po.

Fenghuang woke up and the first thing she saw was a human holding the gun, now pointed at her, she had thrown away. "Don't you da-" She wanted to move, to catch him and probably get the weapon, but as soon as she tried she realized the others holding her back. "LET ME GO!"

"You wish!" Po grinned.

The owl glowed again with her green aura, ready to push everyone out of her way, but they had already seen that attack. Crane, Po, Tigress and Emily moved away as Tigress dragged Simon along. This time her explosion didn't hit anyone, but she was free. Fenghuang flew straight at Leo.

"No you don't!" Po kicked her away. Leo slowly inhaled, shaking completely seeing that scene so close.

The owl planted her claws on the ground, stopping her slide. "You'll pay for this!" She slashed several times against the panda with her claws everywhere until he kneeled down, hurt and weakened. She finished by kicking him back towards a column.

"PO!" Tigress painfully called his name, running to him. "Are you alright? Can you continue?"

"I'm fine..." Po coughed, whispering, "But you have to keep fighting without me..."

Simon and Emily were trying to hit Fenghuang, but she easily dodged and blocked every attack while laughing. "What were you hoping to do?" She threw the fox away, leaving only the crocodile. "You worthless humans. You don't deserve the power you have!"

The crocodile frowned. "You shouldn't underestimate us." He moved his tail and whipped the owl's back. She slightly bent on the ground, suffering.

While Fenghuang tried to stand up, Simon used her own strength to throw her up into the sky. "GO FOR IT CRANE!" he shouted.

"Wings of Justice!" Crane cried out, flapping his wings and generating incredible energy so strong as to cut the air. The owl couldn't dodge, therefore losing control over her body.

Tigress jumped, caught her and blocked Fenghuang, holding her wings as strongly as she could. "LEO! YOU HAVE TO SHOOT NOW!"

The human aimed towards the owl; his hands were shaking. Leo was afraid, scared to miss her. His heart was pounding so fast that he could have been passed out at any moment. Mark supported him, putting his hand on his arm. "Ok..." he breathed out, "Just a few seconds more..."

She tried to struggle free from the feline, using everything she had. Tigress got several wounds from her claws and her wings, but she didn't let her go. "THE WEAPON WILL GET US BOTH! YOU'RE CRAZY!" Fenghuang yelled, hoping to make her hesitate somehow.

"I don't care," she quickly replied, "I would die to protect the ones I care about."

Leo held the gun tighter, focused and shot. "Time to end this in the best way."

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN SO EASILY!" the owl cried out, unleashing a gigantic aura made out of her hate. Crane gathered the humans and shielded them with his body.

The projectile penetrated the aura, making a weird explosion. A white fog surrounded them, they were all blinded.

"Crane! Simon! Emily!" Mark tried to call them all one by one, but nobody replied.

Leo was the only one visible next to Mark, the others simply disappeared. "Please tell me I got her..." he mumbled to himself.

Silence. The two humans stood there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to come who didn't. "What should we-"

Leo hushed him; he heard a bouncing sound coming from the area surrounded by that fog. "Did you hear that?"

Mark shot his eyes open. "That's the sphere! You did it!"

The human walked towards the fog ready to get it back, but Mark grabbed him by his shoulder, concerned. "What are you doing? We can't go in there!"

"You're right..." Leo commented, weirdly quiet. "Go get Mantis and Shifu. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the situation."

Mark nodded and ran away. Leo waited until he disappeared as well to walk inside the fog. As he predicted, he couldn't see anything in there, but the ball was rolling somewhere deeper in that area. He could have followed it by listening to the sound. He was worried to meet anyone in there and maybe being mistaken for Fenghuang, or even worse, facing the owl alone, but Leo wanted to continue for his friends who saved and supported him.

Leo found it. 'I'll take it and run away. Once I leave the fog I'm technically okay wherever I end up,' he thought before moving away but stopped hearing someone approaching. It could have been anyone. He moved slowly in the opposite direction, sensing their presence.

"Give...it...back," the owl mumbled, crawling towards him. She grabbed his leg.

Leo tried to set himself free, moving his leg, but she didn't let him. "Stay away! This is not yours!"

"You're such a nuisance," Fenghuang muttered, climbing her way back to him. "A burden like you should know his place."

Those two phrases she said to him triggered a memory, something that always hurt him.

"Hey Dad! I've got a ball! See?" A ten years old spoke to his father, handing him a ball. "Would you like to play with me today instead? We always study..."

"I thought we already talked about this." An old man glared at him. "You are much more valuable than the other children! You have something important to do and you can't waste time in these useless activities."

"But…" he worthlessly opposed, "It won't be for so long…just a break." The kid was on verge of tears.

"You're such a nuisance," his father replied, upset. "Do you really want to be a burden for this family?" Then he scolded him, shouting, "You should know your place!"

"I-I know where my place is!" Leo replied to Fenghuang, tears appearing on his eyes.

The owl looked at him, annoyed, ready to take him out even in that weakened condition. "You're standing IN MY WAY!"

Fenghuang tried to plant her claws on his body, but Leo, led by his anger, punched her in the face. His chi stone glowed with golden lights. What struck the owl wasn't a human fist anymore. "Go away now while you still can."

"I'll never accept defeat from someone like you!" she panted, "You worthless piece of junk..." the owl stood up again, even if it took some time.

Leo couldn't control himself anymore; her manners and way of thinking drove him insane. 

"PEOPLE LIKE YOU DO NOT EVEN DESERVE TO LIVE!" he shouted, unleashing an incredibly powerful roar to clear the fog and to throw Fenghuang away. She flew outside the palace.

Even if she hated that thought, she couldn't fight anymore and that was the perfect occasion to leave. Leo literally set her up to fly away. "I'll get my revenge one day..." she commented loudly, trying to fly correctly, but couldn't move straight.

Mark came back, bringing Shifu and Mantis. "Leo I'm h-" He widened his eyes, surprised to see a lion standing in front of them holding the sphere.

"I...am..." Leo tried to talk, but fell on the ground, losing consciousness and shape-shifting back to normal. The ball bounced towards them.

Mantis glanced around the place, shocked. Everyone was on the ground wounded, tired, and passed out except for Emily, who was sitting on the ground heavily breathing. "Are you kidding me?"

Shifu picked up the humans. "Don't worry. We'll all help you."

Mark grabbed the sphere. "I think you should do this." He walked towards Emily. "We'll take care of the rest."

Emily nodded, getting up. "Okay, thanks," she said before leaving towards Po's room.

Rebecca walked over, following Mantis. "Oh my god..." she gasped, shocked. The feeling of being useless overwhelmed her.

Mark glanced over to her. "I hope you cooked enough food now..." he smiled, "Everyone's wounded."

The girl looked away, demoralized; simply cooking wasn't enough for her. "Yeah...I did."

While moving his friends back to their beds, Mantis muttered, "I'd like to have a doctor for the doctor!" He cringed, looking at Po's wounds. "This is the only thing I did today! Healing, fixing and repairing! I'm tired..."


	12. An inconvenient truth

The fox walked inside Po's dorm, sad to see the still unconscious male lay on the bed. Her friends made her understand that it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't forget the truth: Fulvio shielded her. Emily shoved away everything. Soon he will be okay, and Fenghuang has been defeated, she thought. A smile appeared on her face.

'How should this work?' Emily wondered holding the sphere in front of him. 'This belongs to you! Come on, get it back!'

She moved it around his body, thinking that there was a specific place where it could activate. Emily put the sphere on his stomach, but nothing happened. Then she placed it on his head with the same result. 'This is so stupid,' she thought, frustrated. 

"JUST TAKE IT ALREADY!" The fox yelled, upset, while throwing the ball at his face.

Emily regretted it, embarrassed for losing her temper like that. "I'm sorry! Hope it didn't hurt too much," she apologized as if Fulvio could hear her.

The girl ducked down to gather the ball from the floor. 'I don't know what to do,' she thought, worried. 'Is it too late?' She hugged the sphere, trying to comfort herself. 'Please...I don't wanna lose you!'

Her necklace glowed, a weird warmth coming from it. As if the stone itself was...reassuring her. "Chi..." she whispered, "Is that what I need to give back to him?" The fox questioned while looking at her pendant.

Emily's jade stone stopped shining. She took that sign as a yes. 'Here goes nothing...'

The girl surrounded herself with a golden aura. Shortly after, the sphere glowed showing the same lights. Emily gracefully moved it towards Fulvio's body, merging them together as they should have been. 'I did it!' She thought happily, watching over her friend and ready to see him wake up soon.

\---------------------------------------

Mark walked inside Monkey's room to check on him again, this time carrying a bowl. Rebecca had cooked some hot broth for their wounded friends in order for them to recover faster. The human didn't care about it, he was just jealous he couldn't eat anything.

"I see you're awake," the human commented, laying down the bowl on the closest shelf. "Do you feel any better?"

Monkey quickly glanced at him, "Tell me what happened. Are the humans okay?" He felt guilty for not being able to carry out his duties until the end.

"You have a lot of catching up to do." Mark sat on the bed next to him, telling his friend what he'd missed.

"I could have avoided this..." He sighed, saddened from what he heard.

Mark saw him trying to get up and failing miserably at it. "Hey, stop." The human put him down again. "Everything's fine now. Just rest."

Monkey struggled to get up again. "I must see what you told me..."

The now irritated human narrowed his eyes; Monkey wasn't even listening to him! "Rebecca made this for you." He moved the bowl from the shelf onto his legs, then moved to feed him after saying, "You won't leave until you eat."

Monkey moved away from it, "What are you doing?!" He gently pushed him away, startled by the gesture. "I'm not little! I can still eat on my own!"

"Don't have a tantrum!" Mark teased, "Be a good cub and eat your food!" he chuckled, trying again.

Monkey frowned, then threw the spoon full of broth back into his face, dirtying him.

"Such an insolent cub!" The human continued teasing while trying to clean himself. The Simian giggled.

As soon as Mark moved the bowl away, Monkey took it and drank it all resolving their ridiculous situation. "Okay, now stop please..."

While cleaning his clothes, the man turned away. Monkey peeked at him, trying to understand if he was actually doing so or he was preparing next jokes and puns to say, "I'm...glad to see you up again." Mark muttered shyly, he turned towards his friend to see his reaction then he quickly turned back again blushing.

The Simian smiled even though he couldn't see him. "And I'm happy to have you here with me." Arms wrapped around him from behind.

For a second, warmth radiated from his chest. "Even if you're the only one who can't shapeshift," Monkey mocked, ruining the moment.

"Not that I care!" Mark struggled free, upset. "You're okay now and I have things to do. See you later." The human stood up and walked outside, trying to appear as cold as possible.

Monkey laughed, "Come on! I was just joking! I don't mind! Really!" 

\-----------------------------------

Fulvio slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and found himself in a weird, surreal place. Between talking animals who could fight, chi, and the Valley of Peace, he thought nothing could compare. He was wrong. 

"Hello...?" the human called out for someone, anyone, but only heard his voice echo throughout the place. 'Where am I?' he thought, looking around. Everything seemed like a chaotic mess of colors mixed together, glowing continuously, if that made sense. Fulvio felt like floating (though two feet were clearly planted on the ground) before realizing that it was some sort of invisible hallway. The walls weren’t visible causing him to bump into them accidentally. 'What's going on?!'

The human continued walking deeper into the hallway, as if he had a choice, but couldn't understand if he were actually moving or not because everything seemed the same. 'Where are the others? Why am I here all alone..?' Anxiety grew bigger in his thoughts.

Finally, something appeared proving to him that he was actually moving. He didn't quite understand what is was; from a distance it was a white rectangle stuck on the wall. Said visible thing changed as he walked closer. He was able to see Po calling to him.

"Fulvio!" The Dragon Warrior said, smiling and waving his paw. Even though he was calling his name, he wasn't really looking at him.

"Po! I'm here! Can you see me?!" The human shouted trying to draw his attention, but it didn't work. Fulvio stretched his hand towards him, but couldn't go through as he imagined. "HELP ME PO!" He yelled, punching the window, "I'm scared..." Fulvio breathed, letting his feelings out.

The human suddenly stopped seeing something that confused him even more. Po continued walking until he reached...himself. "This doesn't make any sense..." He backed away. "I'M HERE! THAT...THING IS NOT ME!"

He stood there, silent, watching what was happen inside. "What is it?" Fulvio replied.

"YOU MUST SEE THIS!" The panda proudly showed his collection of action figures.

Fulvio smiled, "Aren't you too old for playing with dolls?" He teased. He didn't even know how old he was.

"Hey, that's not nice!" Po grinned, "Don't compare simple, plain dolls to these masterpieces!" His eyes shined, filled with excitement. "A work of art..."

Then the window turned black as if it had turned itself off. 'I...I remember that. It happened shortly after we brought food to everyone else,' the human thought, confused. 'Was that a memory?' He felt nostalgic; he wanted to go back.

"Yes, you're right. That was a memory of your recent past," an unfamiliar voice, ringing throughout the place so the source couldn't be found, replied to his thought. "You're trapped inside your mind."

"People say that I'm always inside my head." Fulvio smiled, "I can finally agree with them."

"You have to go. There are people waiting for you," the voice advised, and then a door appeared right next to that window.

The human was ready to leave, excitedly heading towards the doorknob until a thought reached his mind, his hand backing away. "If this is my mind who are you? Why’s there a voice I've never heard before inside my head?"

"Do you really wish to know the truth?" The voice spoke differently, so now Fulvio could easily understand that it was coming closer.

"Yes, please tell me." He nodded, unsure.

After a while, someone showed up. He couldn't believe his own eyes! A panda appeared in front of him; the panda he shapeshifted into! "Who are you?" Fulvio wondered.

"I am you."

The human raised an eyebrow, confused. "Literally speaking or is there a hidden meaning?"

"We don't have enough time to talk about this, I'm sorry," he said slowly vanishing.

"NO! WAIT! DON'T GO! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON; WHY ARE YOU HERE?! I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T ALIVE! IS THAT WHY I FELT WEIRD EVERYTIME I TURNED?!" Fulvio shouted, reaching for him.

The panda smiled. 

"You guys are something special and unique. I can't explain what's happening even if I tried. What Fenghuang did give me is some time to reach out and finally talk to you." He ducked towards him, fading away more and more. "I don't want to waste this opportunity." The panda tilted his head, "Ask about Nova. I'm sure you'll learn something useful." His expression saddened, "Just...don't blame yourself for what you'll find out."

"Nova..." Fulvio whispered, "Is that your name?" He tried to touch him, but his hand phased through.

The panda softly smiled before completely disappearing. "I...already feel bad." The human admitted, "There's something wrong in this..."

Everything turned white. He didn't know what was going on, so he closed his eyes to be blinded by the light.  
\------------------------------------

"Is he waking up?" Po mumbled to Emily, "You sure you did it right?"

The girl complained, "Of course I did. Were you thinking that I, instead of him, might absorb the sphere?"

Po tilted his head, "No, no. I was just saying we will wait."

Fulvio groaned hearing those two arguing, then raised his torso from the bed, "Could you guys stop blabbering? I was sleeping so well..."

They instantly jumped on him, happy and excited. "YOU'RE OKAY!" they shouted.

He couldn't breath. Emily wasn't the problem, but when the giant panda hugged him, he was literally gasping for breath. "Pl...ease...air..."

Po loosened his grip, "Oops, I'm sorry..."

"How are you? You okay? Everything's fine?" Emily asked, extremely concerned.

"Okay, first things first." Fulvio pushed them away. "I need some space." Then he glanced over them. "I'm perfectly okay, there's nothing wrong. Tell me what happened instead."

Po and Emily quickly explained the whole thing right after his departure.

"Uhm..." The human rubbed his chin, "I see..." Suddenly, he remembered his meeting with the panda and gasped. "Nova...!"

His friends shared a confused look, "Who?"

Fulvio narrowed his eyes, knowing where he should ask. "I have to go."

Po stopped him. "Where? You should rest some more..."

"I have to go. I have to see Shifu."

Emily and Po looked at each other again, nodding. "Wherever you go, we shall accompany you," the panda said.

They led the way to the temple where their old master is. In that moment, Simon exited from Tigress's dorm and saw them passing by. He secretly followed them, having a feeling that something interesting was going to happen.

\--------------------------------------

Po brought them inside the Hall of Heroes. Shifu remained there to meditate after helping Mantis and the humans to carry his students back into their rooms.

"Shifu..." Fulvio called.

The red panda raised his left ear, "Oh...I'm glad your chi has finally been restored," he commented, keeping his meditation stance with eyes closed.

"There's something I need to ask you about..." The human walked past his friends and reached him.

"I've told you everything we know about the legend and the ancient heroes," he quietly replied, "Unfortunately we do not know the reason why you're connected to them."

"I think there's more..." Fulvio insisted, "You must know something about Nova."

Shifu's eyes shot open, awakening from his meditation and turning to him. "Nova? I've never heard that name before. Who's he?"

The human frowned; seeing his reaction it was clear that he knew, but decided to play along. "This is Nova." Fulvio shapeshifted into the panda.

"How did you know?" the master sighed, glancing down. "It wasn't necessary for you to know."

"If we are here for a reason and you know that reason, then you have to tell us."

"You sure?" Shifu picked up his wooden staff from the ground, stood up, and went towards them.

Fulvio nodded, even when Nova's words echoed in his mind.

"We don't know the details, but...as soon as I saw your powers I was sure that you didn't just inherit their abilities." His staff was pointed at him. "You ARE those ancient heroes."

Po stared at him, bewildered. "What do you mean? They have different names, different aspects, and I'm sure different personalities."

Shifu tilted his head. "I've read stories about the heroes. I'm sure of what I'm saying."

"This is what he meant then..." Fulvio said biting his lips as hard as he could. "Just...copies from the original owners."

Emily jumped in, shocked as well. "Is that true? Are we nothing more than people made from them?"

The red panda had no answer to it. "Honestly, I don't know how you have been created."

"I'm living a life that's not mine," the girl whispered falling to her knees. "Then what will happen to us? Are we going to disappear to make them come back?"

"Those heroes died, giving up their bodies and souls for everyone's sake," Shifu specified, "Even if you're some sort of hybrid, it's impossible for them to do so."

"They didn't die completely..." Fulvio handed over his stone. "This is what remained of them."

Emily’s eyes widened, thinking of her fight with Fenghuang, "Then I wasn't wrong when I sensed someone guiding me..."

Po couldn't handle this anymore. They were clearly suffering. "It doesn't matter!" he shouted.

They turned to him, startled. "You heard me. Does it really matter where you came from? Everyone deserves to live and every single life is worthy."

Fulvio looked away. "You can't understand our feelings, Po. How would you feel if everything you've been so far, everything you've done, were lies? What if I'm not acting like I'm supposed to be because of it?!" Some tears fell off his face.

Po hugged him, not knowing what else could have helped. It was different this time. The human was using his panda form and more or less they shared the same shape (though the Dragon Warrior was slightly taller). "I'm sure this is you; those necklaces, those heroes...they wouldn't change you." Then he talked with Emily, "And if those are their lives, make them worth living for you and for them."

'I'm not anybody's toy,’ Simon thought watching the whole scene developing right in front of him. 'I need to know everything.' The crocodile headed outside the palace.

In that moment Tigress was looking for her master and saw a glimpse of Simon going down the thousand steps. She called him, but instead of turning towards her, he ran away faster. 

"SIMON!" The feline yelled trying to catch up to him, but he jumped down and used the forest below to hide himself. 'Where is he going? I have to warn Shifu.'

The panda wiped off his tears. "I guess you're right..." He struggled free from Po's embrace. "I met him when I was unconscious. You can't understand how I felt. It was...unfair."

Emily curled into a ball, she seemed really upset. "I guess we just need to accept that."

Po knew that she wasn't alright, but when he tried to reassure her, Tigress walked in. "Master, Simon's gone!" she said, concerned.

Shifu was surprised to hear it. "Why would he leave all of a sudden?" He sighed, "Do you have any idea where he is? We have to get him back."

Tigress nodded, "I have an idea, but I'm not sure."

"Then me, Emily and Fulvio will help you!" The Dragon Warrior intervened, "We will be able to look everywhere together!"

Fulvio raised an eyebrow, irritated. "I didn't say anything about going out."

"Come on, it will be fun! I'm sure this little mission will help you move on from this." Po clarified looking at them, but he couldn't find Emily, "Uh...where is she?"

The human grinned, "She did what I should have done. Leave when nobody's watching."

Po frowned, "I'll come and get her then."

Tigress stopped him. "I'm sorry Po, but we have to go. Every second is important."


	13. A dinner with your enemies

Even if their first enemy had been defeated and everyone was slowly recovering from the fight, Rebecca couldn't smile. The girl tried to rest, thinking that some sleep may help her to move on to forget the problem she was carrying, but it didn't work. 'This time I didn't fight, but soon I'll have to. They want to train us...' she thought, walking down the hallway to Crane's room. 'What am I going to say? That I didn't understand when they said fighting against people who actually want to hurt you- or worse, kill you?' She tilted her head, panicking. 'I've made a promise. I'm not gonna hurt anyone...'

Mark, just like Rebecca, had some troubles. 'Why do I feel like this? I'm so confused...' he thought, walking down the hallway after closing Monkey's dorm door behind him. 'Is it because I seclude myself that my necklace doesn't work?' 

Then he turned, upset, before screaming, "I DON'T CARE MONKEY! I DON'T NEED THESE STUPID POWERS! I AM EVERYTHING I NEED!"

Rebecca and Mark were so absorbed in their thoughts that they didn't see each other. They bumped into one another, falling on the floor. "I-I'm sorry!" Mark mumbled, standing up quickly to help his friend.

Rebecca blushed as soon as he grabbed her hand. "I'm okay...don't worry," she added shyly.

Mark saw her weird reaction, how she slightly turned her face away, and laughed. "You're acting weird. You okay?"

With said question, the girl coloured tomato red, yet recovered her composure. "I should be the one asking you that question!" She easily changed the topic to something that she knew bothered him; his rough chi stone.

"No, I'm not interested in it," Mark replied, reverting to his usual coldness.

"I can help you," she said, smiling. "If you want, of course..."

"Could you really do that?" he instantly replied, showing, in the end, that he did care about it.

By focusing herself on others, Rebecca finally found how not to think about her problems. "We know that emotions and qualities share an intimate connection with our stones," she explained, "Tell me, what are you good at?"

"Ehm..." He looked away as if there were something to hide. "Nothing special."

She crossed her arms and commanded, "Tell me."

Mark sighed, giving up. "You won't like it," he added, scratching his head.

The girl blinked, confused. "How could I dislike it?"

He suddenly opened a scroll in front her and started to read. "That's interesting..."

Rebecca tilted her head, not following what he was doing until she recognized the scroll he was reading. She instantly searched behind her, looking for something that wasn't there anymore. "THAT'S MINE!" With a blush tinting tinting her cheeks, the girl snatched the scroll away from him, hoping he didn't read much.

"So you have a diary, huh?" Mark smirked, interested.

"I...I didn't tell anyone about it!" she mumbled, embarrassed. "How did you know?!" Rebecca put her piece of paper back around her belt, hidden. "But most importantly, how did you get it? I...didn't see you."

"You wanted to know what I'm good at," he repeated, biting into an apple. "I'm a thief. This ability is what helped me to survive."

She frowned, understanding that he stole her apple, too. "I was keeping that for me you know. I didn't eat at all..."

"I just bit it once." He moved the apple away from his mouth. "Here, you can have it." Mark threw what was left at her.

Rebecca tried to keep her anger inside, but when the fruit hit her head, everything flew out. "I won't stay here watching you tease me like that! You violated my privacy and my space, and ate my food without asking permission!" She turned away, heading somewhere else. Rebecca wasn't really angry at him, just irritated. Within those pages she wrote about how she felt about this fighting situation that bothered her so.

"WAIT! I'LL STOP!" Mark shouted at her.

Rebecca ignored him and kept going, but had to stop when he appeared in her way. "WHAT?!" The girl freaked out. "HOW?!"

Mark shook his head, not following why she was impressed. "Have I done something special?"

She clearly remembered that he wasn't following her; walking far enough to not give him a chance to stop her, yet he did. "Do you understand how fast you moved to catch up to me?"

"Oh, yeah..." he admitted, "It's part of being a thief you know. It goes without saying."

"What else is included with you being a thief?" she muttered, feeling like he was still teasing her.

"You need to be fast, resistant and agile," he proudly specified, "I wish I could always do those kind of steals when the victim doesn't even realize a robbery happened."

Rebecca had an idea as soon as he described himself. "I GOT IT!" she cried out, grabbing his hand. "COME WITH ME!" The girl shapeshifted into a swan and flew outside the palace.

\---------------------------------------

The crocodile ran deeper into the bamboo forest. He raised his head towards the sky and noticed that soon it was going to be dark. 'So many things happened in just one day...' he thought, going ahead.

'He should be around here...' Simon wondered, glancing over the area. As far as he could remember, this was the place where he met Tigress the first time and where Fung's gang pierced him with the arrow.

He was clueless. There were no directions to follow. He was searching for bandits, not for some weird place to visit as a tourist. 'Maybe I should have waited for Tigress.’ The crocodile tilted his head. 'No, she probably would have stopped me from coming here...'

Simon, having tired of waiting, decided to keep walking, hoping to eventually find some sort of help. He just couldn't predict how they would have helped him. 'WHAT'S THIS AWFUL SMELL?!' he thought, upset, plugging his nose. 'I didn't know crocodiles stank that much...' The black crocodile decided to trust his nose, following the trail they left.

After a while the human got used to it; being a crocodile like them saved him. 'Ok, I think I'm getting closer...' he thought, sensing the smell getting stronger. Simon found them: five crocodiles, doing who knows what, hiding in different bushes."What are you doing?" he said to Fung, sneaking up on him.

The crocodile jumped out of the bush, scared. "OKAY! OKAY, YOU WON!" he screamed, then turned towards the boy he didn't recognize at first. "S-SIMON?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"One question at a time," the human regulated, "You'll be the first one to answer."

"What was I doing?" Fung mumbled, sweating. "N-Nothing special I swear! We were...gathering herbs!"

Gahri, who heard him, approached and contested, "Weren't we hiding to rob people who wanted to pass through here?"

"Darn it Gahri, I WAS LYING!" he yelled at him. "Did you seriously not get it?!"

The crocodile opposed, "How am I supposed to know that? You only told us we would ambush someone waiting here." Then he turned to the gang to seek approval.

Fung smashed his helmet on the ground, disappointed and irritated. "NEXT TIME I'LL TRY TO SEE THE FUTURE, OKAY?!"

Simon got his helmet back, handing it over to him. "I'm not here for this," he coldly specified, not showing any interest of what they were doing so far.

The crocodile smiled, putting his arm around Simon's neck. "I know what brought you here today," Fung laughed, walking with him towards his gang. "My dear friends, I'm happy to say that we won't be five anymore because this black crocodile here decided to join us!" He pushed him towards his teammates.

"Fung..." Simon tried to interrupt, but he was too busy completing his speech.

"This is a very special day!"

"Fung."

"In fact, today we will have a fantastic dinner to celebrate your arrival."

"FUNG WOULD YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO ME FOR JUST ONE SECOND?!" he screamed angrily, finally obtaining Fung's attention.

"Of course!" he apologized, "You should be the one to talk. This is your day after all!"

"I am NOT here to join your gang." Simon crushed his hopes and dreams. "I have some questions for you."

Fung frowned, disappointed that he wouldn't join them. "Just tell them and leave..." he muttered.

Gahri interfered right before the human started to speak. "For a moment I thought you were my cousin..." the crocodile admitted, walking towards him.

"Your...cousin?" Simon repeated; it seemed like some sort of clue to him.

He nodded. "He's just like you, a black crocodile. This species is extremely rare here, it was my first thought as soon as I saw you."

"I never liked that guy," Fung snarled, disgusted. "His behavior shamed us. Crocodiles are not kind and nice."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Gahri narrowed his eyes at him.

"Can you tell me more about your cousin?" Simon asked, glancing over to him. "Where is he?"

Gahri glanced down, saddened, while Fung seemed to enjoy it.

"What's the problem?" the black crocodile insisted to obtain an answer.

"It's been a month now since he's gone missing."

"Deserved," Fung commented coldly.

"Just because you two don't get along doesn't give you the right to talk like that!" Gahri cried out, defending someone he deeply cared about. "They were a brother to me."

Fung glared at him. "He was such a nuisance, always putting his nose where he shouldn't have. Someone got rid of him. That's what happened."

"I can't stop thinking about the fact that he left because of you. If you two were going to accept each other maybe he could have been here, with us."

He laughed, "Are we talking about Rox? There's no way he was going to join us."

"Then maybe we should have followed him!" Gahri proposed, "What are we even doing here? Where will this thievery bring us?"

"SO YOU'RE SAYING YOU DON'T LIKE IT?" Fung shouted, upset. "YOU'RE SUCH A LIAR."

"I'M NOT LYING. I'M HERE BECAUSE OF YOU; BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL."

Their voices echoed throughout the forest, so loud and noisy that Fulvio, Po and Tigress found them just where she imagined Simon would be.

"Why are you here?" Tigress said, appearing behind Simon. "You shouldn't have left the palace like that."

The crocodiles glared at them, so Tigress raised her arms, ready to defend herself. She knew they weren't welcome there. Po was unsure about what to do; he moved his arms as well, showing some sort of uncertain battle stance. Fulvio, instead, hid behind his big panda friend.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" the black crocodile shouted, "CALM DOWN NOW." Everyone lowered their paws and claws. "I'd love to see you fight to death, that's true, but I have something else to do so give up, thank you."

"Fine, I'll call a truce tonight," Fung muttered reluctantly.

Gahri seemed happy to hear that. "If we're not enemies tonight then what about eating with us?" the crocodile proposed. "Fung did something useful for once and brought back a good amount of money. I was able to cook a very special recipe!" He smiled, excited.

"Darn it Gahri! That doesn't mean we have to invite them for dinner." Fung was so disappointed that he didn't throw his helmet on the ground and walked inside his house, muttering something.

The two pandas didn't really care about the offer. Whether the warriors accepted or declined didn't matter, even if Gahri tickled Po's curiosity and appetite saying that. "No, we won't stay here," Tigress cut in, deciding for everyone.

"Maybe you won't stay here," Simon specified. "As I said I have things to do." He walked towards Gahri.

"This is not a good idea," Tigress insisted, "You can't trust them so easily." She glanced over to the Dragon Warrior. "Tell him that it's wrong."

Po raised his paw and opened his mouth, but his belly talked for him. "Well...we could always leave after eating, right?" he mumbled, hoping Tigress wouldn't get mad.

"We should totally stay," Fulvio supported them, trying to avoid any quarrel. "It's getting dark, you two can protect yourselves, but what about us?" He tried to appear more frightened, if that was possible.

Tigress sighed and accepted. "Fine..."

\-----------------------------

Mantis brought Leo inside his dorm, lowering him down on a bed. Shifu, brought there before, checked him. 'He's hot! How did that happen in such short time?' He put a wet, cold cloth on his forehead. The bug looked at him, concerned, seeing his friend talking in his sleep.

"Dad...I'm not a burden," Leo whispered. His face twisted painfully. Mantis couldn't guess if that was because of the fever or the nightmare he was having. "I'M NOT A BURDEN!" he shouted, instantly raising up and breaking free from the prison his mind set up.

"Easy there!" The bug slowly laid him down again. "Don't push yourself so much since you're not okay."

He didn't get it at first. Why did Mantis say to not move? Then he noticed countless needles on his body, which didn't hurt at all. "Is this acupuncture?"

Mantis’ antennae twitched. "Oh, so you know about this technique?" he questioned back. "I use it to ease the pain, and your nerves weren't too hard to find," the bug continued to talk about his special ability while slowly removing the needles from his body.

Leo listened to him passively; his mind hadn't left that dream at all.

"When you learn to perfectly place the needles on Po's nerves, then you can do it with everyone blindfolded!" Mantis laughed.

"I guess so..." the human commented, uninterested.

Mantis jumped on him. "Listen...I heard from Mark that you have some weird family issues. I'm really sorry I can't help you with that..."

"That's okay. I appreciate what you did so far..."

Mantis showed him a bag. "I had an idea of what you liked, so I got this for you. I wanted to cheer you up somehow."

The human smiled, opening it. "Wow..." he gasped, finding an impressive amount of scrolls. "History of China, History of Kung Fu, Common Traits Every Species Share," he read some of their titles. "THIS IS AMAZING!" Leo shouted, excited, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "I WANT TO READ THEM RIGHT NOW!"

"I'd like to point out that you have a fever," the bug muttered.

Leo blinked, confused. "Really? I-I don't feel anything." He noticed the cloth and moved it away to touch his forehead. "I'm not quite sure, but I think it's going down..."

"That's not possible; it may be the cold cloth that temporarily changed your temperature. I checked it myself before, and it can't be gone already."

"Ok, hear me out." The human moved the bug away. "I'll start to read now. If I feel tired or bad I'll go to sleep. Feel free to check on me tonight, okay?"

Mantis jumped between Leo and the scrolls. "I won't stay here watching you reading. I vote for a sleepover!"

"A sleepover?!" Leo gasped, "I've never done that before! I agree with your idea."

\------------------------------------

The crocodiles, two humans, and the two kung fu masters were all eating together inside Gahri's house, but they weren't very active. Simon, Gahri and Po were the only ones talking. The human kept asking Gahri questions while Po complimented his food. Fung and his gang instead stared at Fulvio, finally understanding what happened in the village.

"I don't want to ruin this moment..." Fulvio mumbled, shyly noticing their gazes upon him, "but can you guys stop staring at me?"

"I want to see your human form," Fung muttered.

Tigress narrowed her eyes, looking at Simon. "You shouldn't have done that," she scolded him for turning back into a human.

"They knew already. Did you forget that Fenghuang hired them?" the human replied coldly.

"Well... we didn't understand at first what she meant, but we saw you before so...it wouldn't take much to understand," Gahri commented, glancing over to Simon's left arm. "Is it okay? I'm sorry about the arrow."

"Not to mention that Fenghuang will tell anyone she finds," Fung stated accurately, "I would totally do that to draw attention to you." Simon glared at him. "Not that I would really do it, of course," he mumbled back.

More interested in Rox's (Gahri's cousin) story, Simon moved the topic back to him. "Didn't he leave something behind? Where did he go? How old was he? The last thing he left to you was?"

"He always writes me letters." Gahri smiled, thinking about them. "I think I stored them somewhere inside a drawer..." the crocodile said, leaving to look for them.

"Why do you care about someone you never met before..." Tigress wondered, listening to him.

"I need to know more about myself. Nobody better than a black crocodile to help me out." Simon couldn't directly tell her the truth. If he was Rox, that would have brought troubles among them and the crocodiles.

Po and Fulvio shared a surprised look. They realized he knew. "There's more, am I right?" Tigress questioned the two pandas, lowering her voice.

Fulvio nodded, but Po replied, "We will tell you later… I think I know why he can't tell you."

"I found it!" Gahri came back, handing over a letter. "This is the last letter he sent me before disappearing."

Simon quickly read it, but there wasn't anything useful in there. "So...he's some sort of traveller?"

"Yeah..." the crocodile confirmed, "He mumbled something about inner peace, balance and...chi?" He seemed unsure about the last one.

"HE KNEW ABOUT CHI?!" shouted Simon, instantly raising from his seat.

"Y-Yes!" Gahri repeated, startled by his reaction. "I have this too, I wanted to show you how much you resemble him." Gahri handed him a photo.

Simon's eyes shot open upon seeing that they were almost the same; small differences made them different. That black crocodile was hugging two little ones. Under close inspection, he recognized those two. They were Fung and Gahri.

"We were ten years when we took that picture," the crocodile commented, nostalgic. "Rox was eighteen years instead. He was so nice with us..."

"Thank you, Gahri." Simon gave back his photo. "For your help, the dinner, and everything." He shapeshifted back into a crocodile. "We have to go now..."

The crocodile grabbed his claw. "No please feel free to stay here tonight. It's not a good idea to head back now."

Simon knew that Tigress wouldn't have liked that idea. "I wish I could accept..."

"That's okay for us," Po cut in while Fulvio was nodding right behind him.

The feline’s eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry? This is the worst idea of the day."

"You have to trust me!" the panda reassured her. "and them...of course. They won't hurt us!"

"That's not the problem!" she complained, "We are alone with two humans and have no clue how many people already know about their presence. We have to keep them safe."

Fulvio interrupted, "That's okay. We'll be fine."

Gahri, seeing that they agreed to stay (sort of), tried to show them their rooms inside, but Tigress didn't follow, stopping everyone else. "I'm sorry, but there's a limit," she said, "I understand Po, Simon, and now Fulvio, but I won't sleep inside among five crocodiles." She turned back, heading outside. "We'll see you in the morning."

Po didn't want to leave her all alone. The two humans thought the same and decided to follow her. "Gahri, I think we will sleep outside if that's okay for you..." Simon quickly explained, turning towards his friends.

"Sure, that's okay. Feel free to ask me if you need anything!" the crocodile shouted to them.

"HEY TIGRESS!" Po caught up with her. "We will sleep together tonight, all four of us! It will be like some sort of party among friends! What do you think?"

Tigress felt extremely uncomfortable; he probably said the most embarrassing thing he could have. "I'll...I'll sleep on the roof, okay?" she mumbled, "You three go wherever you want."

In the end, Po forced everyone to sleep on the roof together. Tigress had quite a hard time falling asleep because the Dragon Warrior hugged them all whole night long.

\------------------------------------

Meanwhile, some hours before, the swan brought Mark on the edge of a cliff. "Here we are!"

"What are you thinking?" he questioned, confused. "ARE YOU PLANNING TO THROW ME OFF?!" the human shouted, scared, seeing that she was lowering him down.

Rebecca reassured him. "My stone activated when I was in danger so..."

"SO YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME!" he screamed, "PUT. ME. DOWN."

She rolled her eyes, irritated that he didn't trust her. "Okay, if you insist..."

Mark was falling down, screaming and begging for help. "YOU CAN DO IT! YOU JUST NEED TO FOCUS!" She ignored him and encouraged him to do it alone.

Another bird flew down the cliff and reached the man, therefore saving him. "You okay?" Crane asked.

The human instinctively hugged him, shaking. "Still alive, thanks..."

Crane got back to the swan. "What were you thinking?!" he scolded Rebecca. "That was irresponsible! You can't assume that a stone would activate on its own like that! He was going to die!"

Rebecca landed next to Mark, gave a look around, and flew again. "THAT IS SAFER!" She picked up Mark again, heading towards a less deadly precipite.

"NO, REBECCA." Crane stumbled towards her. "I can't let you do this."

"I AGREE WITH HIM," Mark yelled, scared.

"I was heading towards that hill..." she said, justifying herself as if that was normal. "It won't kill him."

"No, but it will probably break every bone he has," Crane added sarcastically.

"Help me out," Rebecca insisted. "Fly next to him while he's running down. If something happens, you save him. Just one time; if it doesn't work I'll give up."

Crane looked at Mark. He didn't seem to like it, but the bird knew that Rebecca wouldn't give up unless she tried. "Fine..."

The swan lowered the human again, ready to make him fall. "No, no please! Can't we talk this out? I'm okay now. I don't need my powers!"

"You can do it. I have trust in your abilities." The swan smiled, throwing her friend down.

Mark began to roll down the hill; he already lost control over his body. Crane seemed ready to save him at the beginning.

"WAIT CRANE! AT LEAST MAKE HIM TRY!" Rebecca reminded him of their agreement, so Crane slightly backed away.

The human tried to catch something, anything to stop himself, but he couldn't hold onto anything as his body dragged him down. Mark tried planting his hands and feet on the ground, willing them to brake his downfall. It hurt; his nails cracked, and some blood poured out before he stopped.

Rebecca frowned."Mark that's not what I asked you to do!"

"I'M SORRY, BUT I'D LIKE TO LIVE! I'M NOT A SUICIDAL PERSON!" he yelled. "AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO, YOU JUST...THREW ME AWAY, SEEING IF I WOULD ACTUALLY SURVIVE YOUR TORTURE!"

"Okay, listen to me..." She flew closer. "Get up and run down with your feet, try to not lose balance like before when you rolled down."

"AND THAT WILL HELP ME?!" He couldn't understand the meaning of this.

"I swear if it doesn't work I give up and Crane will bring you back home," she added, "What about if I cook you something tasty? I know you would like that."

Mark sighed, trying to gather some courage. "I'm not accepting because I skipped without eating the entire day. Just wanting to point that out."

Rebecca chuckled, knowing that he was lying.

"Okay..." He took a deep breath, trying to stand up. "I can do this."

He followed Rebecca's advice and ran as fast as he could. His legs were resistant enough to handle that speed even if he was going faster and faster. An obstacle appeared in his way. There was a tree and he couldn't turn. He was running too fast to control his body properly.

"YOU HAVE TO FOCUS!" Rebecca reminded him.

Mark closed his eyes. Whatever happened, he knew that Crane would save him. In fact, the bird headed for him, but the human's necklace shone too bright, so he couldn't get close.

The human shapeshifted and his stronger body allowed him to turn to the right. He opened his eyes, relieved, not seeing where he was going anymore. Mark headed towards a giant rock that worked as some sort of ramp. He flew, just like a bird, to the unknown.

"Oops..." Rebecca gasped, finally feeling guilty. "I can't fly that fast, Crane..."

Crane sighed, heading towards the shapeshifted human. "I'm on it..."


	14. Fish stinks

Another day started. Shifu headed to his students' dorms, excited to start a new fresh training session, but something seemed missing.

"Where are Tigress, Po, and their partners?" the red panda asked impatiently, "Have they not returned yet?"

"No, Master," Monkey replied tilting his head. "They left to look for Simon and haven't come back."

"I hope nothing bad happened." Shifu pointed his staff at him. "Monkey, go towards the bamboo forest. I heard that they were heading there."

"Yes, Master." The simian bowed respectfully, and then ran outside the palace.

The humans, instead, exited their huts shortly after hearing Shifu's call.

"Hey Mark!" Rebecca shouted, waving at him. "Good morning!"

He walked through the dorm's hallway and headed to the training hall, straight up ignoring her.

"Don't ignore me!" She chased him down and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Are you...mad at me for yesterday?"

Mark turned to her with a glare. He struggled free and left. "I'M SORRY!" she yelled, "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?"

Rebecca's yells woke up Emily, who had slept with Viper that night. She watched over the snake the whole night only to end up falling asleep.

"What's happening?" she mumbled with a yawn, "Who's shouting?"

Viper, already awake due to her master's call, turned to her. "Good morning, sweetie."

Emily smiled seeing her completely recovered. "I'm glad you're fine now..."

"You've been very kind..." The serpent blushed. "Yesterday night you stayed here and took care of me."

"I didn't do anything special..." she replied shyly, "I fell asleep as well. Let's just say we slept together."

Meanwhile, inside Mantis' dorm (the one next to Viper’s), the bug, after replying to his master's call, turned around to check on his friend to eventually wake him up if he were still asleep, but he found a surprise.

"Are you still reading?!" the kung fu master yelled, upset. "Please tell me you didn't stay awake all night."

Leo turned red, using his scroll to cover his face. "Ok I won't tell you..." He replied shyly.

Mantis moved away the sheets and the scroll he was reading to find something even more weird, "Where did these scrolls come from?!"

The human laughed awkwardly, glancing over forty scrolls hidden under his sheets and under his bed. "I...I don't know"

"Today your training will begin!" he scolded, "How could you train now if you don't rest at all!"

Leo stood up, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever. "I'm fine. I slept a couple of hours. I'm perfectly operative."

"After we finish you'll go back to sleep," Mantis ordered.

"BUT...I have to finish my scrolls!" He cried.

The bug seemed ready to knock him out - that would have been considered resting as well. The human perceived that and exited as fast as he could. "I...gotta go." He smiled, scared. "Let's meet at the training hall!"

\-----------------------------------

The humans and students who remained in the palace gathered at the training hall, and Shifu started his lesson.

"First things first." Shifu cleared his throat, "I'm happy to see that everyone has successfully unlocked their powers and finally are able to shapeshift into different species."

"E-Everyone?" Viper repeated, confused. "How many things have happened while I was unconscious?"

"I'm sorry Viper, I couldn't tell you..." Emily apologized, "You didn't wake up until this morning so I couldn't tell you anything..."

The red panda stopped her, "That won't be necessary." Then he pointed his staff toward the humans. "Please shapeshift. I'd like to start some basic training."

Emily turned into a fox, Rebecca into a swan, and Leo into a lion.

"That's incredible!" the serpent gasped, "I can't believe such a thing is even possible!"

Her enthusiasm soon crumbled when Mark didn't change. "Didn't he unlock his stone?" Viper questioned, confused.

"Crane told me what happened yesterday," Shifu said, glancing over him, "Even if her manners weren't the best, she tried to help." The swan looked down, embarrassed. "You have to put any negative feelings behind and forgive her."

Mark didn't reply. After a while he pulled out his stone from his pocket, held it tight, and shapeshifted. A shining yellow cheetah appeared in front of everyone. "I just want to be clear; I'm not accepting her apologies, not now." He glared at Rebecca. "I really like this form because it suits who I am. That's the reason why I want to train."

"So he's a cheetah, right?" Mantis said jumping on the lion's shoulder. "If we knew that before we could have sent him to get Po, Tigress and the humans back."

"No, even if I knew, I wouldn't have changed my decision." Shifu remarked. "He has to start from zero. Imagine the fastest specie in the world who doesn't know how to control his speed."

Crane cringed thinking about yesterday again. "Yeah...I agree."

"The first step of your training is-"

"SHIFU!" A voice screamed interrupting the lesson.

The red panda turned towards the entrance, but nobody actually showed up. Whoever that was had called him too soon. A flapping noise grew closer until a tired goose appeared flying towards him. He fell on to the floor, crawling to close the little gap that remained between him and Shifu. "There's an urgent message from Seawe City..." Zeng mumbled, raising a very peculiar scroll for him.

Shifu's eyes widened upon hearing that name. "Are you sure?" His question didn't need an answer; the scroll itself was bonafide proof it came from there.

The kung fu masters were extremely surprised as well. "The underwater city? That Seawe?" Crane remarked, not believing it.

"There's no doubt about it," Viper said pointing, with her tail, at the scroll Shifu was reading. "Look at what it’s made of; that's not paper. That's seaweed."

"An underwater city?!" the swan shouted, excited. "IT SEEMS SO COOL! CAN WE GO THERE? I WANT TO SEE IT!"

The lion rubbed his chin, confused. "Am I missing something here? Let's agree that this city is actually underwater. How could we go there? We won't be able to breath, of course, assuming that they want some kind of help from us."

"Instead I was wondering why everyone seemed so shocked by it..." the fox added looking at them.

"Because that place has been sealed for years." Crane explained, "Nobody was allowed to enter or leave..."

"And Leo..." Viper giggled, "You don't need to worry about that. I heard there's a special technique which allows us to breath."

Shifu closed the scroll and glanced over them as if he were looking for something, and then spoke, "Viper, Emily, Crane, Rebecca, Mark and Mantis. I'd like you six to go to the eastern coast where someone is awaiting you."

"Master, what do you mean?" Viper slithered towards him.

"There's nothing to understand," he quietly replied. "This is a mission you six have to take care of."

A mission. As soon as he said that word, worry and anxiety increased amongst the humans and kung fu masters. "Forgive my arrogance master, but they don't know anything about fighting..." Mantis jumped in.

"Or our world..." Crane supported his friend, feeling like this wasn't a good idea.

"Sometimes practice is better than theory." Shifu smiled, "Now go. The master you'll find there will explain everything you need to know."

\-----------------------------------

In the bamboo forest, Po and the others hadn't awoken. Without Shifu, who worked as a living alarm, things were different for them.

Simon woke up first, raised his head to the sky and saw the sun shining. "What...what time is it?" he questioned knowing that they may have slept too much.

The crocodile pushed his friends, worried. "It's late, get up!" Then he punched the roof calling for Gahri or Fung, "HEY, WHAT TIME IS IT?!"

"Took you long enough to wake up!" Fung muttered while peeking out. "I didn't know you guys were suck slackers. You beat me," he laughed.

"Can you answer my question please?" Simon said, irritated.

"It's ten AM," he chuckled before going back inside.

"It's 10 AM?!" Tigress instantly stood up upon hearing it. "I've never slept so long..."

Po yawned, "It's okay Tigress, maybe you needed it."

"I don't think we should care about how long we’ve slept," Fulvio cut in, "What about Shifu? I believe he'll be so mad and worried."

The two warriors glanced at each other with wide eyes. "That is not okay." Po said, already thinking what the sly raccoon could do to them.

"Just grab the humans and go!" Tigress exhorted, picking up Simon by his tail.

"HEY, I'M NOT SOME SORT OF BAG YOU CARRY AROUND. I CAN WALK YOU KNOW!" the upset crocodile yelled.

"You'll be too slow to follow us," she replied before running, on all fours, back to the palace with the crocodile on her back.

Simon raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously telling me that I would be slower than Po?"

With that reminder, Tigress planted her paws on the ground, turned around and looked at the two pandas behind them.

"Fulvio please turn back to human," Po said, "I can't carry you in that form, you're too heavy."

"I...just wanted to say goodbye to the crocodiles. Simon and Tigress didn't do it and simply left," the human mumbled.

"What are you doing?" Tigress called to them, "There's no time for that!"

"That's rude! They took us in, gave us something to eat, and we almost slept in their beds," Fulvio explained, "Shouldn't we at least say we're leaving?"

"Don't worry about it," Gahri said opening the door, "We heard everything, thank you."

The panda shifted back into a human. "Okay then. You can carry me now."

"Wait...what about not showing your real form to the villagers?" Fulvio said as soon as Po put him on his back

"I know that, but I don't know what to do..." He rubbed his chin thinking of something. "WAIT! GAHRI! Do you have some sort of cape or cloak to cover him?"

Gahri quickly went back inside and brought an old, damaged cloak. "I wanted to throw it away. Will this work?"

"Thank you!" he said, accepting his help. "With this on, nobody will see what's inside!"

After a while, Po and Fulvio finally reached Tigress who was waiting for them. "Are you done now?" she asked with her arms crossed, left foot thumping repeatedly on the ground. Simon sat next to her.

"I-I'm sorry" Po mumbled, "I did what I needed to-"

"Maybe you don't understand that we're late, really late." Tigress commented, picking up Simon and running away.

"I...just wanted to be polite." Po replied, even if she didn't hear it, and followed.

"HEY!" Fung shouted not knowing if they could actually hear him. "SIMON, DON'T FORGET THAT I'M ALWAYS HERE IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND!"

"As if you could leave..." Gahri added sarcastically.

The crocodile glared at him. "Thanks Gahri. Such a good friend I have."

\--------------------------------------------

Monkey met them at the village's entrance. Po and Tigress stopped as soon as they saw him.

"What are doing here?" Po questioned.

"Did Shifu send you?" Tigress guessed.

Monkey nodded. "He was worried that something might have happened to you four. What stopped you from coming back sooner?"

"It's uh...a long story," the Dragon Warrior admitted, lowering his friend.

Tigress did the same with Simon, she simply dropped him causing Simon’s face to kiss the ground. "Oh...thanks."

"From here on I'd like to walk," the feline said, "I have to know what you didn't tell me yesterday night."

"Well...Tigress...you see..." Po mumbled.

"Spit it out."

"That's not something he should explain..." the crocodile interfered as soon as he got up, "You should listen to me instead."

\---------------------------------------------

These "new" six warriors were heading towards the eastern border where the big ocean was. It wasn't a short journey, that's why they decided to travel by air. Crane alone couldn't carry five people, so he asked Rebecca to help him out; she carried half of their friends.

"I...I can't do it," the swan opposed, "I just learned how to control my body in midair!"

"I'm sorry Rebecca, there's no other way," Crane sighed, "You have to try. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Viper knew that she needed someone in particular to push her enough to do it. The serpent gently slapped the cheetah with her tail. "What?" he replied, uninterested.

The snake moved her eyes towards the swan, then back to him. "Rebecca, please we need you," Mark said sarcastically. His tone didn't show any concern for her whatsoever.

Luckily for Viper, Rebecca wasn't close enough to hear him. "Mark!" she scolded him.

"What? You can't force me to help her, I'm still mad for yesterday." He turned his back to her.

"I honestly don't know what happened," Viper said slithering around him, "But Rebecca wanted to help you because she genuinely cares about you. Maybe she didn't do it correctly, but it's thanks to her that you can shapeshift now."

Mark's ears raised, showing that she, somehow, had a point, but still not enough to convince him.

"If we won't change her mind, we won't make any progress," Mantis interfered, jumping on his shoulder. "Don't you wanna see the underwater city?!"

"I...don't really care, but if you guys need this so much then..." he sighed, heading towards Rebecca. "We need your help whether you like it or not."

"You'll carry Mark and Mantis," Crane insisted, "I'll take Viper and Emily."

"We will all be next to you, so there's nothing to worry about," the fox added.

"Okay. Okay. I'll give it a try. Just...don't blame me if something goes wrong." Rebecca took a deep breath and lowered her body.

\---------------------------------------

From a bird’s perspective, the ocean was even more beautiful. The humans and kung fu masters couldn't turn their eyes away from the scenery. It wasn't just the sea. The sun made it brighter, and the breeze brought that typical smell of salt air.

"Wow..." Emily gasped, "I always loved coming to the beach, swimming, and tanning."

"You mean like Mark?" Mantis pointed out their color differences.

The cheetah blushed, even if he wasn't in his human form. "That's not the reason why my skin color is different."

"Really?" the bug replied, surprised. "But she said-"

The fox laughed, "I'll explain it to you later."

"Hey Mark..." Rebecca said, "Have you ever been here?"

"Of course not. We never left the palace."

"No...I mean this place, the beach."

"No, never..." Mark's tone seemed cold.

"Rebecca!" Crane called to her, "I think we found him."

"Are you sure?" She quickly glanced over the gigantic area under them. "I didn't see anyone on the sand..."

The bird pointed towards the sea with his beak. "You shouldn't look there. Focus on where I'm pointing."

Rebecca couldn't see it clearly. "Isn't that a giant rock?"

Viper peeked out from Crane's left wing. "No, that's a whale!"

"Rebecca listen to me..." the bird called to her again, "You have to land slowly, okay? You have to lean your face down then slowly put your body behind it. Go against the draft and you'll lose balance."

Crane showed her what she had to do, landing right next to that huge whale. The swan remembered everything he said, and for a moment, her attempt seemed to be going smoothly until a sudden draft pushed her towards the whale making her lose control over her body.

She screamed, panicking, while Mark and Mantis simply jumped down landing on the sand. Rebecca, instead, smashed against the whale.

"That was...unexpected," the whale commented while Crane helped the swan.

"I'm very sorry for what happened." Viper slithered in. "We're here to accept the mission you sent us."

"I've never seen such a big whale before..." Emily commented looking at him thoroughly from top to bottom. "Actually I've never seen one at all."

Rebecca, after reassuring Crane that she was okay, ran towards the giant fish and excitedly screamed, "You're so cute and big and soft! I wish I could hug you!"

"What are you saying?!" Crane blushed for her behavior. "Don't say that to a master!"

"Technically I'm not a real master," he breathed out, "My role is to protect my city's border from strangers and to not let anyone go out."

"Then why ask help from the outside?" Mantis said flickering his antennae.

"Didn't you read the content of the scroll we sent you?" the whale replied.

Viper tilted her head. "Shifu didn't tell us anything. He ordered us to come here as soon as possible, and stated that you will eventually tell everything."

The whale, even if he didn't tell anything or act weird, seemed somehow interested in the swan. He never took his eyes off her.

"Is something wrong?" Rebecca asked, feeling his presence bore into her.

"Do you...remember me?" He questioned reluctantly as if he knew her answer already.

The swan smiled. "I would never forget someone so big. I'm sorry, you may have mistaken me for someone else..."

"I see."

After that reply, an utter silence fell down upon them making everyone uncomfortable. 'Was I supposed to say yes?' Rebecca thought feeling even more awkward.

"I didn't say much inside the scroll," the whale finally broke the silence. "I'll tell you everything about the war on the way to the city."

War. That word burned on the humans, but the kung fu masters didn't react the same. They knew something close to that was the reason why they had been summoned to that place.

"Now, please. Come inside." The giant fish opened his mouth, letting out a terrible smell.

The humans couldn't even think or process the whole thing due to the surprising news, and destructive odor.

"Do we really have to get in there?" Emily commented, showing more interest for the disgusting situation.

"It's not that bad!" Viper tried to convince them, but she glanced over to Crane and saw him covering his beak with his wing.

"Hey Crane..." Rebecca shivered, almost crying. "A war? Is he serious? Why did Shifu send me here?"

He saddened upon looking at her. "It's okay, don't worry. Whatever is going to happen we will protect you, okay? We know our master. There's a good reason if he wanted you here with us. Pull yourself together. I know you can do it."

"I...I failed my landing," she mumbled, paralyzed.

"Rebecca please," Mark said, annoyed because of her whines, "You heard what Emily did with her stone, right? You have nothing to worry about."

The swan took a deep breath and chanted, "Okay. I'll try. I HAVE TO BE STRONG. COME ON GUYS! GET IN THERE!"

Then she lifted her friends one-by-one and threw them inside the whale, then jumped inside last. The fish closed his mouth and turned towards the city. As soon as Rebecca reached her friends she noticed something was clearly wrong, but couldn't understand what.

"Hey guys, why aren't you talking?" she asked, looking at them gesticulating. "Are you trying to help me out by playing some games to distract me? That's nice, but I'm fine, really."

The fox pushed everyone away, put her hands against her own neck, did a fake strangle and breathed out some bubbles.

"Oh...that's what you wanted to say; you guys are drowning!" She smiled happily getting the answer. "No, wait. YOU GUYS ARE DROWNING FOR REAL." Rebecca noticed that everything around her was just water. They couldn't breath. "MISTER WHALE MY FRIENDS CAN'T BREATH! HELP THEM!"

"I'm sorry," he quietly apologized as if everything were okay. "I haven't carried earth's animals for such a long time..."

He drained all the water from inside allowing everybody to empty their lungs.

"Wait a second..." the swan began, looking at them coughing and gathering fresh air. "How was I able to breath underwater? I'm not a fish..."

"That's..." Crane coughed, "A really good question..."

"How didn't you notice the water in the first place is mine." Mark added, "That's the second time you try to kill someone and it happened in less than twenty-four hours."

"I'm sorry!" she repeated again, "I don't know. I felt like I was so used to be underwater that I wasn't able to see it."

Emily remembered what Shifu told to her, Fulvio and Po. "Master Whale, please. Tell us about the war and the origin of your city."

"We have a long journey ahead," he replied. "I'll explain everything from the beginning."


	15. It requires harmony

Under Monkey’s suggestion, Po, Tigress and the humans returned and headed toward the training hall where they thought Shifu was having his daily lesson.

"Master," Tigress said walking towards him. The fact that he was alone, reading in a corner with just Leo surprised her.

Shifu turned around and the three masters bowed as usual to greet him. The humans simply stood behind, waiting.

"Where have you been?" the red panda asked, "I was worried, even if I shouldn't be, because you are my best students. I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Apologies..." the feline said, looking down, "We had some...trouble along the way that didn't let us return as fast as we imagined."

"It's my fault," Po instantly blamed himself, not tolerating the fact that Tigress was willing to take everything. "A friend invited us to eat with him and I couldn't say no."

Shifu rose an eyebrow, not willing to believe him so easily. "Simon," the old master said while walking past his students. "Why did you leave? I allowed you all to go around the village now that you have unlocked a power that has the ability to do so, but not alone, not like that in the middle of the night."

"I heard the speech you had with Po, Fulvio and Emily yesterday," he began, crossing his arms. "Despite the fact that I disagree with this choice of yours to keep it secret, I wanted to look for clues since I knew where I could find them."

Shifu looked away. "It wasn't my intention. I wondered if it was right to tell you everything immediately."

Simon didn't seem convinced either and decided to go straight to the point. "The name Rox tells you something?"

"Unfortunately, he is one of the six ancient heroes we know nothing about," Shifu admitted, "I heard he was a traveler..."

The crocodile didn't like to admit defeat, but he couldn't argue. Nobody said to him that Rox was a traveler, they just arrived.

"Where are the others?" Fulvio questioned, seeing only Leo, meditating, in a corner.

"I've decided to accept an unexpected request." The old master showed them the weird, green-looking scroll.

"Is that a scroll from Seawe?" Tigress commented, startled.

"That's not possible..." Monkey denied, "That city has been sealed for years since their queen disappeared."

"The previous queen was a swan..." she said remembering old things from her past.

"You sure?" the simian asked, "If what you guys told me about the ancient heroes being the humans is real, then she's technically their queen."

Simon laughed, "Who? Rebecca? That girl couldn't distinguish a raccoon from a red panda!"

"That's not the problem!" Tigress shouted willing to destroy the light situation. "Seawe is in the middle of a civil war! Why did you let her go?"

"Really?" Po mumbled, surprised.

"Because the humans were right." The red panda glanced over at Fulvio. "They deserve to know everything and that place may contain what they're looking for."

Now the human-panda felt somewhat guilty for his discoveries. "So...what are we gonna do now? We will just...wait?"

Shifu walked towards Tigress and handed her another scroll, a traditional one. "Can you please put this back in Rebecca's hut? Precisely under her pillow." Then he turned back to Fulvio, "Training, of course."

Simon quickly read some phrases inside of it, but already knew what it was when their master explained where it belonged. "I didn't know Rebecca had a diary."

"Shifu...did you read her diary?" Po gasped, not expecting such a behavior from someone like him.

"Me? Reading personal stuff without permission? I'm a wise, old master. I couldn't ever do something like that." The red panda smiled.

\------------------------------

Meanwhile, the masters and humans sent away by Shifu were on their way to the underwater city via a whale's stomach. He started to explain what happened and what caused a war.

"Seawe hasn't always been like that..." He sighed, "When I was younger, people traveled all around the world to come here; the whales were always working bringing tourists back and forth, but they left when the queen disappeared."

"I'm going to take a guess," Viper said flicking her tail, "Is this a war of succession?"

"Yes, it is. We put a simple rule: the ruler will decide the successor, but she didn't and disappeared."

Mantis jumped on Crane's hat. "So...how's this going to work? People will blindly kill each other to get power?"

"Mantis!" Viper scolded him as soon as she saw Rebecca's frightened face.

"The city is divided in five different sections. In the south lives the Octopus Tribe, the east holds the Shark Tribe, and the western side belongs to the Dolphin Tribe," the whale explained.

"Those are three..." Crane specified, "What about the fourth and fifth one?"

"Sorry, I mentioned only what mattered. These three sections are connected together by a central area where the villagers and fish folk live. The northern part has been sealed when the queen left. It's her castle." The whale stopped talking to swim deeper down in the ocean.

"MY EARS...IT HURTS!" Mark screamed, kneeling down.

"I'll fix the pressure right away..." The whale said.

"You okay now?" Crane lowered to help him stand up.

"Y-yeah..." He mumbled cupping his ears, "I didn't expect it..."

The whale continued his story, "These three tribes never got along very well. With the queen missing, now they want to be the dominant one."

"I don't really think these tribes are small groups and, honestly, I don't get how our presence here will help you," Crane admitted.

"We need someone who can guard the throne without being chosen as future king or queen."

The kung fu masters and the humans shared a confused expression. "The throne?"

"When the time comes, the most loyal servant will lead the way to the future," the whale chanted, "This is an old message written in the queen's room. We believe she left it for us."

"And...it's associated to a place where the ruler lays his butt on." Mark specified, giggling.

Viper slapped him with her tail. "I don't even wonder why you're Monkey's partner."

"Please don't worry," Master Whale said, "Everything will be clearer once we arrive. Master Dolphin's waiting for us at the gate."

"Isn't he...against you?" Crane asked, "Did you forget something else?"

"Our queen was an excellent warrior, a wonderful ruler, and a very kind teacher. She personally taught a dolphin, a shark and an octopus."

"I get it," the fox exclaimed, "She wanted to reconnect the tribes using them."

"Yes, she tried to do so. The three masters understood. In fact, they are very close to each other, but the tribes saw them as traitors and any attempt to talk this out ended up in failure."

"Were you...close to her?" Emily suddenly asked.

"No...I'm just listing the things she did for her people."

The fox didn't seem convinced. A royal servant wouldn't talk like that. He genuinely cared for her as a person, that's the impression she received.

"Please hold tight to something," the whale warned, "We're going to fall towards the city."

"F-Fall?!" Rebecca cried out, scared.

"In order to keep the city isolated, strong water currents have been placed all around the city. I am the only one who knows how to avoid them, but it won't be easy." His giant body leaned down, then he swam as far down as possible.

The strong currents touched his body everywhere trying to drag him away, but he seemed stronger and more resistant. The warriors inside felt like some sort of earthquake had shaken them everywhere.

"I...I don't feel very well..." the swan said turning green.

"You-You have to hold it! You can't throw up in here!" Mantis pointed out the fact that they were inside a whale's stomach.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't-" Rebecca did her best to keep her beak shut, but there was nothing she could do to avoid it.

Mantis snatched Crane's hat. "NO MANTIS DON'T-" The bird attempted to stop him, but it was too late. Rebecca threw up inside.

The bug closed it and gave it back to him. "Sorry bud."

Viper winced for the entire situation while Emily and Mark laughed in the background.

Crane frowned, took a deep breath and smiled. "Before I go crazy...are we there yet?"

"Yes, hold your breath. I'm opening my mouth," Master Whale announced. "Head to the dolphin. He will let you breath underwater."

Everyone swam towards the gate except Rebecca who seemed able to walk normally, as if she weren't under the ocean.

"Greetings everyone." A white dolphin approached them. "I am Master Dolphin and I'll be your guide to-" He stopped, glancing over to Crane who was begging for air.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry." He said awkwardly, "It's been so long that I almost forgot." Pointing his fins at them and saying, "Life bubbles”, the dolphin created five bubbles around their heads allowing them to breath.

"Okay, thank you. I've gotta go!" The bird swam away holding his closed hat, willing to clean it up somewhere else.

"I'M SORRY!" Rebecca put her wing around her beak, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO!"

The dolphin swam incredibly fast to the swan as soon as he saw her, lowering his head. "I...can't believe you're back."

The swan backed away, disoriented. "Do I...know you?"

The fish glanced over to the whale, confused just like her. He glanced down. "I see...you're not the queen. Please forgive my manners..."

Emily finally understood every connection: from Shifu's decision to send them here, to the whale's behavior, and the dolphin reaction. "Was your previous queen a swan?"

"Yes, she was. Queen Walky."

\--------------------------------------------------

At the palace, Shifu started another training session with the ones left. "Today you'll spar against your partners. Feel free to do everything you want; I need to see your flaws to figure out what you can do better. I'll give you some advice in the middle of the fight."

The humans knew that that his advice really meant orders. "I can fight on my own," Simon contested, "I don't need any advice."

"If you believe you know every basic technique it won't be a problem to show them to me, right?" He smiled.

"Of course not..." the crocodile replied, annoyed.

"Leo, as soon as you finish those scrolls, I have these two for you." The red panda threw them to him as the lion at them before catching the scrolls.

Simon and Tigress started to spar together. The crocodile tried to get her, but she easily dodged everything. "You have to think fast during a fight," Shifu commented while looking at them, "Strength is useless if you're not fast enough."

The human lost his temper and used his tail to make her fall like the last time, but she flipped away. "Can't trick me twice," she stated, landing in front of him.

"Stop," The old master interrupted, "Simon you have to use your feet more. Tigress already noticed that. She focused only on your claws and tail which is why you're losing."

"I can't," the crocodile replied, "I end up falling. My tail is cumbersome."

"I understand that, but you have to learn how to use both properly," Shifu said. "You've have never had a tail before and having one now that is almost longer and bigger than your body might be a problem, yet also an advantage. It's a double-edged sword."

The red panda glanced toward Po and Fulvio who were sparring differently as he imagined.

"Okay, let's see how strong you are," The Dragon Warrior said, lowering his body and stretching his paws open against him. "Punch me as strong as you can."

"A-Are you sure?" Fulvio mumbled, "I think we should do something else instead of-"

"Do it!"

The panda looked at his paws, clenched them and tried to punch him. "Should I...continue?" He asked shyly when Po didn't show any sign of satisfaction or pain.

"Don't stop until I say so, okay?"

"Fulvio, kick him," Shifu said, looking at them.

"Ehm...right now?" The panda asked, frightened, "We were training my ability to give punches..."

"Yes please."

The human glanced down, scared. He lifted his right foot, lost balance, and ended up on the floor. He turned red as Simon held back his laughter. "Don't laugh..."

"Okay, I saw what you can do...kinda, and what you can't do. You both need lessons on how to control your weight." The red panda put down his staff, turned towards a column, jumped and kicked it with his right foot. "This is a side kick." He moved to Tigress and Po. "Teach them how to do it. I have to take care of Leo and Monkey now."

Po's mind flashed back in time when he learned that technique from his hero, "My first side kick..." His eyes glowed. "It's been so long since Tigress showed it to me..."

"Po, focus," the feline called back to him, then showed step by step how to do a side kick. "Choose which foot you want to hold your body, twist your hips, recoil and extend."

"Come on guys! Do it!" he exclaimed, excited to see them growing as kung fu masters.

Fulvio tried to follow her instructions but wasn't able to lift his foot high enough to do it. "I can't do more than this..." he cried out for help.

"Just...keep going, slowly..." Po reassured him.

The panda tried, but he lost balance again, ending up doing a full split on the ground, followed by cracking sounds from his legs and a pained scream.

Po cringed. "Even watching that hurt me."

"HELP ME! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS..!"

The Dragon Warrior glanced over to Tigress. "Can I...?" She nodded. Po lifted his friend up and left the training hall heading towards his dorm to patch his friend up.

Simon laughed again, enjoying the show. "Now it's your turn to try, Simon," the feline said.

"You think I can't do that?" He glared at her.

The crocodile raised his leg and successfully did a side kick, but then fell on the floor due to the tail which dragged him down. "See?! This stupid tail is always in my way."

"It won't take too much. I have an idea," Tigress replied, waiting for him to stand up again.

Monkey was waiting right next to Leo as his master told him to and the lion was absorbed on his readings until Shifu arrived, "How's it going? Is everything clear?" He asked.

Leo moved his face from the scroll to him and nodded, "I think I get it, but I'm not sure..."

"Then try it..." The red panda picked up one of his scrolls. "It won't be hard for you if you're a descendant of the lion's tribe."

The human put down the scroll he was reading, inhaled deeply and focused. His green stone shine shined with golden lights until his entire body was surrounded with chi. He stretched his arm towards the scroll. It started to shake on its own until it floated in the air.

"Wow..." Monkey said, looking at it surprised, "What kind of power is that?"

"That is telekinesis," Shifu explained, "It's a common technique among the lions, but only the finest minds can control it for long times or on multiple targets. It requires a lot of focus."

He saw the human sweating, already tired. "Keep training. You can't be tired after lifting a single scroll for a couple of seconds. Once you're ready Monkey will help you test your focus."

The simian looked confused. "What should I do? I don't have a technique like that to help him with..."

"You don't need any technique to help him out, you have to annoy him, lure his attention away, do something stupid. I think you're perfect for this."

Monkey didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult. "Uh...sure. I can do that."

"Good, I'll watch you from afar. Let the training begin."


	16. Too many attentions

Master Whale glanced over them one last time. The kung fu masters were ready to leave for the castle. "It's been a pleasure to meet you all."

Rebecca instantly turned to him. "No, wait...aren't you coming?"

The dolphin swam next to her. "I'm afraid he can't. As a guardian, he has to protect the gates."

The swan stared sadly at him. "Oh, okay. I'll miss you..."

The giant mammal moved his left fin showing an empty shell. He closed it inside a bubble and sent it to her. "Here, take this. It's a thing our previous queen always used to wear around her neck."

Rebecca, instantly falling in love with the pink shell, quickly popped the bubble and put it around her neck. The necklace covered the chi stone. 

"Thank you. It's beautiful..." she replied gratefully, then tried a hug, embracing only a small piece of his right cheek.

'If that was the favorite necklace of the queen, why does someone like him have it...' Emily thought, observing the situation.

"Now please allow me to lead the way..." Dolphin said, beginning to swim toward the center of the city.

"We have to wait for Crane first," Viper explained to him, "He...had to take care of...an issue."

Mark and Mantis giggled in the background. "A tasty one."

Viper glared at them while trying to buy some time. "I really want to know how these bubbles work, like...will we always swim or is there a way to walk like the swan does?"

Dolphin smiled, "You do not need to worry about it. These bubbles are infused with my chi. Soon enough they'll let you move and act like you were on the mainland. It will take some minutes because they've never met your species."

\-------------------------------

Crane was swimming as far as possible away from them, looking for a spot where he could fix and clean his hat alone. 'They know how important this hat is to me...' he thought, cleaning up Rebecca's gift. 'Mantis literally destroyed it...' The bird sighed, looking at his hat tucked up into a ball. 'Thanks, Mantis. Now how do I fix it...' Some seaweed drew his attention, and he had an idea. 'Well...time to modify this old hat of mine.'

He put the green seaweed around the broken pieces, fixing the holes while mending the straw back together. Crane seemed even more happy looking at the result. The brown mixed with some green made it nicer.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" A gray stone fish appeared behind the place where he pulled the seaweed off. "That seaweed you stole are from my door!"

Crane blushed, embarrassed, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't meant to..." He lowered his hat. "I'll give it back if you-"

"You destroyed it! There's no point handing them back now!"

The bird mumbled, "I don't know what to say… Please forgive me."

"Oh...I know what to do." The fish glared at him, pointing his sting towards Crane.

The bird widened his eyes, scared and surprised, and tried to swim away. "NO, PLEASE, I DIDN'T KNOW..."

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY SO EASILY..." he shouted, throwing his sting at him.

Crane wasn't used to swimming underwater, consequently making him slower and didn't let him dodge his attack that hit his right leg. After that attack, the fish didn't chase him anymore, as if his revenge was completed.

\---------------------------------

"There he is!" Mantis said as soon as Crane showed up.

Rebecca walked towards him. "Listen, I'm sorry about that. I couldn't just do it in the whale's stomach..." She noticed that Crane wasn't really listening, instead focused on scratching his right leg with the left one. The swan ducked down and saw a wound. "What happened? Did you get hurt? Is it my fault? I-I'm sorry..."

The bird instantly reassured her, trying to not think about what happened before. "It's okay, everything's fine, besides, have you seen what I've done to my hat?" Crane ducked down and showed her his hat.

"Uh...yeah, that's pretty cool, but you have to put some bandages around it..." Rebecca glanced over to Mantis. "Do we have something?"

Matins flicked his antennae. "I couldn't bring anything like that here, they would have been soaked..."

The dolphin swam towards Crane and put some seaweed around his wounded leg. "It will tickle a bit, but this will seal the wound."

"How did you get it?" Viper asked, concerned.

"Uh...I'm not a good swimmer, that's all..." Crane laughed awkwardly, "I crushed my leg against some...spiky rocks." He tried to swim, checking if his leg hurt.

Rebecca knew that he was faking, it must have really hurt. She glanced down, overwhelmed by her mistakes. The cheetah swam next to her and caught her left wing. "If you want to make up for everything then enjoy the city you wanted to see so badly."

The swan frowned, "We aren't here as tourists! I hope you know that!" Then she blushed, looking at him. "I wish we could."

Mantis broke the moment, annoyed. "Very touching. Can we go now?"

Dolphin smiled, embarrassed. "Please follow me through the village..."

"Weren't you...mad at me?" Rebecca asked, walking, while the cheetah was right above her, swimming.

"I'm trying to move on. I don't think this is the right place to be angry at each...OTHER." While he was talking, the bubbles completed their effect and the cheetah fell on the ground as if he weren't underwater anymore, crashing down upon his face.

The swan laughed, holding him up. "At least now we can walk next to each other..."

Crane glared at them as if he had some sort of grudge. Nobody noticed that except for the fox, who was the closest. 'That was unexpected,' Emily thought.

Shortly after Mark, one-by-one, the warriors began to walk instead of swimming making their movements smoother and faster. Dolphin showed them the principal village, the neutral one, where all the fish folk lived in little houses made with shells, conches and excavated rocks. Everything surrounding them were decorated with seaweeds.

Rebecca gasped upon looking at it. "Amazing! Incredible! I've fallen in love with this place..."

Viper noticed that the swan drew too much attention to herself; she looked like the missing queen and all that shouting turned every fish in the area towards her. "Rebecca, you have to control yourself..." she whispered, "Everyone is looking at you."

"Did you see her? The Queen's back! The war's finally over! The gates will be destroyed! That's why she was gone; she asked for help on the surface," the fishes murmured together amongst many other phrases.

Rebecca blushed and walked faster, dragging Mark along. "I-I really don't know what I'm getting into. Even if I ask they'll never send me back home..."

"Don't think about it," the cheetah said, "We will be back before you can even think."

"About that..." Mantis began from Crane's hat, "The whale told us about protecting the castle, but...how long will we actually stay there?"

"I see that some of you are worried, but at the time it's the least of our problems. We asked for your help because there's a barrier that protects the castle and today or tomorrow it will disappear. I'll give you better details once we arrive," Dolphin said, swimming outside the city and heading towards a giant route which led to the castle.

\----------------------------------

Shifu thought that Leo was tired because it was his first time dealing with chi. The truth was that he didn't sleep enough yesterday. Luckily for him, Mantis, who had been sent on a mission, was the only one who knew. "Monkey whatever you have to do, do it," he said, "I'm alright..."

"You sure? I don't think that you've managed to-"

"No, it's okay, go on."

The Simian blinked, disoriented because of what he had to do. "Leo, Leo-" He started to call him several times, hoping to obtain what Shifu asked.

The lion felt slightly annoyed but managed to tolerate the childish behavior. "You should try something else," he proposed, getting back to reading his floating scroll.

Monkey poked his chin, thinking of something worse. He raised his left arm, put the right hand under his left armpit and tried to distract him with some fart noises. "What about some nice music in the background?" he giggled.

Instead of being irritated, Leo was actually surprised. His life had been spent around people who took everything seriously, and Monkey's choices amused him (sort of). "It's funny that we can do such noises moving our arms..."

The Simian rose an eyebrow, upset. "It shouldn't entertain you!"

The lion snorted. "Sorry, try something else."

"What do you get when you cross a lion and a snowman?" Monkey asked.

Leo stopped for a second, moved the scroll away and looked at him, "You serious?"

"A frost-bite!" he laughed.

The human froze, not knowing how to react, "Uh...okay..."

"What's the difference between a tiger and a lion?"

Leo rubbed his chin, "Well...there are plenty. We could start pointing out their physical aspects and-"

"A tiger has the mane part missing!" Monkey said, chuckling on the floor.

The lion's eyes twitched with irritation. "Very funny..."

The Simian found his weak spot and continued with more puns and jokes, and for a few moments, Leo almost made the scroll fall.

"What do you call a lion who chases camels across the desert?"

"Why would a lion chase in camel in the first place?!"

Monkey held his laughter, "A chameleon."

"That doesn't make any sense! It isn't funny!" the human shouted, pointing his paw at him. Distracted by his friend, the scroll fell on the floor. "Damn it..."

"Let's try again! I have more puns to say!"

\-----------------------------------

Po brought the wounded panda inside his room and laid him on his bed. "So...how do you feel?"

"What do you think?!" He tried to move his legs, but every attempt generated a cracking sound from them. "Is this the sound legs should make?!"

"Uhm...it must be dislocated." Po started to touch his legs, looking for the precise spot.

"What are you doing?" Fulvio exclaimed, suffering, "You're not a doctor, try not to make things worse!"

"Hold your breath, it's gonna hurt," the Dragon Warrior warned, but didn't give him enough time to actually do so before he raised his legs and then quickly bent them against the bed.

Fulvio screamed in pain while his legs made the loudest cracking sound. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU."

"I fixed them," he said, smiling.

The human raised his eyebrows, surprised. "As if you could-" He tried to move them. It still hurt, but the bones seemed alright.

"Hey, I've been practicing," Po commented proudly, "Mantis taught me something."

The Dragon Warrior glanced at him, worried. He seemed elsewhere, staring outside through the only window present in his room with sadness in his eyes. "Don't worry about the training, I'll talk with Shifu later and...everything will be fine. Feel free to rest as much as you want."

"Yeah...thanks," Fulvio said coldly, "But I'm not tired."

"Ok, what about playing some games then?" He ducked down and pulled out some boxes from beneath his bed. "Mahjong? Luzhanqi? What about Xiangqi?"

"Po, listen I need to-"

"Sure, I get it. You want something to eat, am I right?"

The human sighed, not sure if he had the strength to send him away. "Please, I just need to be alone now. Could you...leave?"

Po felt somewhat guilty, thinking that he might have done something wrong, something that made Fulvio upset. "Uh...okay, I understand..." he said, lowering his ears. "I'll give you some space..." The panda glanced down while leaving the room.

\-------------------------------------

Mark and Rebecca, walking ahead of everyone else next to Dolphin, were enjoying their travel through the city, almost forgetting that they came for another reason. Viper had to constantly remind her that she couldn't be seen in a place where the old ruler resembled her.

"Even if they keep forgetting, I can't deny the fact that they look so cute together," Viper hissed, happily moving her tail.

Mantis moved from Crane's hat to Emily's head, since she was closer to the snake. "I don't get it. He was mad at her, like, this morning. How does it work? Do humans forget easier than us?"

Viper giggled at his naivety. "That's because you never fell in love."

"Hey that's not true. When I was younger I met a girl, but I refused to die so soon..." Mantis complained.

"Die?" The fox stared at him, confused.

"Females eat the male's head, killing her lover," Viper explained, "I always thought it was brutal..."

Emily smiled at them, then turned to Crane again, thinking that he might have heard them and have some kind of reaction, but the bird wasn't listening because his eyes were glued to the two humans.

"You okay, sweetie?" questioned Viper, slithering next to her. "Something's wrong?"

She scratched her right arm with her left one. "I don't know honestly..." The fox tried to point towards Crane with her eyes, still worried that he was hearing all along.

"What's wrong with CR-" Mantis spoke out loud, but Emily caught him before he could finish.

The serpent stopped, caressed her head with her tail, and observed the bird, trying to figure out what her friend wanted to warn her about. The truth struck her so hard that it almost caught her off-guard. 'Is he...jealous?'

Dolphin suddenly stopped and the whole group turned to him, forgetting what they were doing. A red octopus blocked his way and the dolphin seemed quite surprised to see him. "Master Octopus, what are you doing here?"

"I have been informed that there's someone worthy of my attention." He swam towards the swan. His cold blue eyes pierced the human who felt threatened by him. Rebecca held Mark's paw tighter, trying to not show it.

The octopus stared at her, from the bottom of her webbed legs to the top of her yellow beak. "This girl is the queen," he said nonchalantly, as if his opinion were the absolute truth.

"No, she isn't," the mammal quickly replied, "She just resembles her."

"We, her loyal servants, have been with the queen for decades. Don't close your eyes on purpose when the truth is right in front of you," the octopus scolded him.

"Do you really think that if she were the queen she would have behaved like that? We asked for assistance to defend the throne so it can be free to decide who really deserves the title of new ruler. It's a good plan, don't change it."

"If you want to do that, I won't interfere," he quietly replied, "But it's not a good idea to let her walk around the castle like that. She needs a camouflage; people shouldn't associate her with the queen."

"We could stop at her ho-"

"At her house? That's a really good idea. I'll be able to show her what her ancestor did, right? Bring everyone to the castle. I'll look after the queen, I mean, the swan."

The dolphin didn't oppose his request. Rebecca felt uncomfortable and scared, She wanted to argue somehow, but didn't have enough courage to say anything.

"Why can't we stay together?" Mark asked, glancing at them.

"It's a rather special place. Nobody's allowed to go in there except for the queen or people related to her," the dolphin explained.

"I think we made clear enough that she isn't," Crane shouted, acting weirdly overprotective.

"Queen Walky used to run and hide among her people," the octopus said, "We just want to hand her over some clothes to cover herself. I just want to help."

"I-I don't know..." Rebecca mumbled reluctantly, "I guess I have to..."

"You don't need to do this." The cheetah dragged her closer. "I have a bad feeling."

The swan gulped. "I have it too, honestly, but there's another one that tells me to go. I can't really explain."

Emily pushed her friend ahead next to the octopus. "Then go! I'll watch out for your boyfriend!" The fox winked.

"B-BOYFRIEND?!" Mark repeated, turning completely red. Rebecca, instead, went away, trying to act like she didn't hear.

"They are just friends," Crane remarked, upset. "Don't say such things out loud."

Mantis and Viper looked at each other, surprised to see him act like that. The octopus and Rebecca parted ways with the group when they reached an intersection. The cheetah stopped there and stared at her going away. Viper had to turn back and drag him with the others.

\----------------------------------------------

"I was right then. Walky was the guardian of the blue goblet, it wasn't just a legend," the octopus said, swimming next to her.

Rebecca didn't understand what he meant, but her bad feeling grew bigger. Her heart beat loudly within her chest.

"I want to know the truth. You really don't remember or you were just faking?"

"Faking? I'm not faking..." the swan mumbled, scared. "What makes everyone believe I'm the queen?"

The sea creature grinned, "I heard you were able to breathe underwater without any help from us. Is that true?"

"Yes..." she replied.

"And you didn't ask yourself why?" he said, moving his eyes to her. "Earth creatures like you are not born with that ability."

"I've just arrived here..." she admitted, "I have...so many questions in my mind."

"I guess it's alright to act like that." The octopus smiled. "You're the result of something extraordinary, am I right, human?"

The swan instantly froze, shaken. "How do you know? How many people know about this?" Rebecca didn't even try to lie, her reaction made it too obvious.

"It was...a well-hidden secret, I'll give her that, but I have my sources." He stopped right in front of an old, hidden house excavated into a giant rock. "Who knows if this place will help you remember something."

The octopus moved away the seaweed that covered the entrance and let Rebecca go through.

"Why do I feel...strange?" the swan said, giving a look around.

There were some photos of her hanging on the walls. They really were practically the same. Chairs, shelves, everything was excavated within the rocks. Everything felt...so familiar to her, even the smell. "Was it true then? Was I really this...Walky everyone talked about?"

"Yes, royal blood runs through your veins. You deserve this place, this kingdom, these people; everything is YOURS."

The swan slowly backed away towards the door, her instincts suggesting that she should get away. "I'd like to do that, but...this doesn't belong to me anymore."

The octopus turned to her, upset. "Do you think you're different because you fused with a human?! Whatever happened, I'm sure my beloved queen chose someone who shared her the same ideals."

Rebecca tried to run away, but a tentacle wrapped around her leg and she fell on the floor. "LET ME GO! HE-!" she tried to scream, but the octopus shut her beak.

"I know the queen better than anyone else! I'm sure she would sacrifice herself to save everyone because she never liked fighting! DON'T YOU FEEL THE SAME?!"

The swan wasn't listening anymore. She panicked, trying to struggle free.

"I'll do your will, my Queen. Don't worry," he reassured her, choking Rebecca.

'Please help me...' she thought, losing consciousness. "Mark...Crane...somebody...'


	17. Deserved rest

In the training hall, Tigress showed Simon her exercise on how to control his body. "You've never had a tail before, that's why you should embrace it first. This is a good example of balancing your weight," she said, planting her tail on the ground before lifting her whole body up. "Monkey uses this position to meditate. It isn't really hard to do."

The crocodile turned his head towards his tail, feeling weird when he saw the tail wiggling. "Okay, let's give it a shot."

"Simon, that isn't enough," the feline scolded seeing that he could barely lift his body up. "You have to use the edge of it, go higher!"

Every time he tried to raise his body higher, the human lost balance and fell on the ground. After countless failures, fatigue and sweat overwhelmed him, yet Simon refused to give up. His pride wouldn't allow him to do that.

"Good, don't stop. Practice makes perfect!" Tigress said, encouraging him just before the Dragon Warrior, calling her name, walked inside.

"Tigress!" He shouted, upset.

"Is everything alright?" She replied, alarmed, thinking that maybe something went wrong when he took Fulvio away. "How are his legs?"

"Uh...no, that thing is solved," Po responded reluctantly, "Can I talk to you for a moment? I need advice."

Tigress raised her right paw, communicating to Simon to suspend his training for a bit. "Feel free to keep going or to help with Leo's training. I'll be back later." Together, she walked outside the training hall with Po.

"What's bothering you?" The feline asked as soon as they were alone.

"So..." the panda mumbled, playing with his fingers, "Do you remember my first day here? The training, you and stuff, right?"

"How can I ever forget that?" Tigress replied, tilting her head.

His left paw moved behind, scratching his back. "Well...I'm feeling like those old days, you know; I don't think I'm handling this thing as I should be..."

She laid her right paw on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring vibe. "Just tell me what happened."

Po bit his lips, gulped and slowly opened himself to her, conveying his insecurities and thoughts about the human.

"You shouldn't have acted that straightforward," she said, commenting on how Po fixed Fulvio's broken legs.

"It worked, right? That's what matters!"

"Po, that's not the problem," Tigress said, crossing her arms.

"Everything sucks lately!" He started, upset, "I can't teach as I want to, I can't cheer up my friend, I can't even be a good friend in the first place!" Po muttered, listing all those things in his left paw.

"You're putting on problems that aren't problems," she scolded.

Po’s eyes widened, startled. "What?"

"Where is he now? Is he still in your room?"

"Yeah, he wanted to be alone..." Po nodded, saddened by the last part.

Tigress turned away, heading back inside. "Then we have to wait. I can't show you anything right now."

The giant panda didn't really know what she wanted to do, but he had something in mind that maybe could have helped her. "Come with me!" He said, grabbing her right paw, leading the way to their dorms.

"Why are we here?" Tigress asked when Po brought her inside Crane's room. "He isn't in this-" She suddenly stopped, realization striking her mind when the Dragon Warrior started to blush for no apparent reason. "Did you keep those holes I told you to remove?"

"Uh...no?" He mumbled uncertainly. The feeling of guilt completely overwhelmed him.

Tigress crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow.

"Y-you don't know how it feels to live with your heroes!" Po whispered angrily, thinking that Fulvio might have listened to them. "Everyone would have done the same!" He pointed his finger at her, justifying his nerdy behavior.

She simply pushed it away. "You're not just a fan of us. You're the Dragon Warrior; our friend; and part of our family."

Po blinked and his rage transformed into a soft smile. "Thank you. That was...nice."

Tigress, embarrassed for what she said, quickly turned around to hide her blush. "Is it behind this shelf?" The feline asked, but moved it away not actually waiting for his answer.

There it was, a little hole hidden in the room's corner. The Dragon Warrior covered it using Crane's shelf. Tigress ducked down and peeked inside. She saw the panda sitting on Po's bed staring at some photos. He didn't have any photo of himself there, so those must have been Po's family photos.

"That's what I thought," she whispered, inviting Po to look for himself instead of asking.

Po was skeptical about this. How could spying on someone from a tiny hole help him find the solution for this problem? Soon his doubts disappeared, realizing the same things Tigress had.

"I think I got it..," the panda said, saddened, "I shouldn't have talked about my family that much. I must have brought nostalgia upon him..." His ears lowered, just like his mood.

"Don't be sad because this is not your fault. You did your best to make him feel at home. It's okay to miss your family. I know that feeling."

Determination appeared in his face and eyes. "I'll go to talk to him," he stated, standing up with raised ears.

"No." Tigress immediately blocked him from getting outside.

"What? Why shouldn't I?" Po questioned, surprised, "He needs someone by his side now more than ever. Let me go through."

"He specifically asked you to leave him alone," she reminded him, "Some people just need some space for themselves. Everything will be fine. Besides, what would you do? Rush inside saying, ‘don't be sad, I'm here for you’, implying that you actually stalked him to understand what was bothering him!"

"Hey, hey...easy there," Po cut in, moving his paws down. "First thing, I wouldn't say that."

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot," she mocked, “First, after you rushed in, you'll hug him, completely ignoring his desire for personal space."

The panda raised his finger and opened his mouth, ready to argue, but couldn't actually oppose. Tigress knew him too well. "Then tell me what I should do, Master Tigress, since you know everything."

"Nothing," she stated nonchalantly, "Is it too hard for the Dragon Warrior?" The feline grinned.

"I just wanna help!" Po exclaimed, putting his paw on his chest, "Is that wrong?"

Tigress glanced over to the shelf she moved away before. Right after putting it back, she picked up an action figure of Crane Po had received a long time ago as a gift. "Show him your support with this."

Po let her lay the action figure in his paws, yet he didn't get it at first. "Is Fulvio a fan of Crane? I didn't know about it..."

She blinked, glancing at the action figure. "What have you understood? I meant do an action figure for him of him."

The Dragon Warrior nodded, excited. "That is a really good idea." Laughing, he pointed his finger at her. "It will be so awesome!"

\----------------------------------

The group reached the castle surrounded by a giant bubble. Kung Fu masters looked on with interest at the barrier that blocked aquatic creatures.

"It looks like those medieval castles! Am I right, Ma-" Emily tried to explain her excitement, showing how much she truly liked the place, but with nobody to do so with. Mark probably wouldn’t have seen a castle before either and she didn't know if the kung fu masters shared her same knowledge.

"I’ve seen a castle before," the cheetah muttered, crossing his arms, "Even if you find it hard to believe."

There was a moat surrounding the castle, and for the group using the bubble technique, they couldn't swim anymore. The dolphin swam inside, straight up ignoring the barrier and bubbles. He kept swimming before stopping in front of the main gate. "Lower the bridge! I brought some backup!"

The mammal moved to the left letting the bridge fall down. The group walked inside with their bubbles disappearing as soon as they entered. In there, it wasn't necessary. Instead, what seemed weird was the dolphin who swam in the air thanks to a different bubble filled with water.

"As you’ve probably noticed, things in the castle work literally the opposite way," Dolphin said, leading the way.

"It really doesn't seem to be underwater here!" Mantis shouted, inhaling and exhaling several times to prove it.

"So...that's the barrier that kept the castle safe until now, right?" Viper inquired, slithering next to him.

"Yes. Once it disappears, the three tribes will try to break in for the title of ruler."

"I'm...honestly confused about it. If someone takes the power then what happens next? Is everyone going to accept it passively? If there's a war going on I don’t think the tribes will accept a ruler that isn’t their own," the fox stated, rubbing her chin.

"Because they care about traditions. That's the only good thing in here. Whoever gets the power will end this mess, but we couldn't give it away to the first fish who walked in here. This is the gift our queen gave us before going away and now it's going to fade away." 

"What about getting the power yourself?" Crane said, "You look like a nice person."

"I wish we could, but when we approached the throne nothing happened. It simply didn't choose us." Dolphin replied, kinda disappointed. "Now please your questions for later. I have to introduce you my comrades."

As soon as they walked inside the castle, the group stared with amusement at ornate carpets and highly decorated furniture. Everything was extremely fancy and elegant. It sure looked like a place where only earthling creatures could have lived in. What drew their attention the most were the three giant paintings hanging on the wall. In order, first was a crowned, brown crab holding a golden staff, then a manta ray holding the same things but with a red cloak above himself. Finally, the famous swan everyone talked about. She was the exact same copy of Rebecca so there was no question as to why everyone mistook her for the queen, yet something seemed off. Walky wasn't wearing any royal decoration. The groups’ thoughts centered around the anomaly of Walky as they continued further into the castle.

"This way. The throne room is up ahead," Dolphin informed, drawing their attention back to him.

Mantis glanced towards Crane, worried. After what Emily had said and done, it was obvious that something was off. Except for two sentences, he didn't talk much. It's true that Crane doesn't really talk much in the first place, but this was something completely different now. 

"Hey Crane!" The bug jumped onto his hat. "Is everything alright? I'm sorry about your hat, but look at it now, it's beautiful!"

The bird didn't reply forcing Mantis to peek down his hat to look at him. "Hey..."

Crane narrowed his eyes then glanced away, "I'm perfectly fine, don't worry about. Just...leave me alone, okay?"

"Alright, alright, I'm going..." Mantis mumbled awkwardly and jumped down, landing on Mark's shoulder. 'That doesn't look fine to me,' he thought.

They finally reached the end of the hallway. The dolphin moved away showing an empty, weird circular room. There was a giant column in the center and a window with some sort of balcony to the north, but the famous throne was nowhere to be found. A group of jellyfish were waiting for them, but only one, probably their commander, swam toward them.

"We checked the perimeter again. The building is safe for now, but the three tribes will arrive here soon," the commander spoke.

The dolphin nodded to him then turned to the group. "I'm honored to introduce you to Master Jellyfish, general of the royal army and protector of the throne."

Viper glanced around, looking again for it. "Actually...where's the throne?"

The jellyfish laughed as if he appreciated the question, making him feel relieved. "It's in here, don't worry. We simply made it harder to find." Then he looked around, just like Viper, searching for something. "Where's that swan you told me about? I wanted to see if she really is a perfect copy of the queen."

Dolphin blinked, surprised. "I-I'm sorry? Isn't she here already? Master Octopus took another path and..."

The entire group seemed alarmed by the news. Crane instantly walked past everyone, shouting, "WHERE IS SHE?"

The mammal genuinely didn't know, but he couldn't say anything to someone so angry and upset. "I-I'll try to contact Master Octopus, please calm down. I'm sure she's fine." Dolphin closed his eyes and focused. He started blabbering something, but his voice was so low that nobody understood what he meant. Crane, clearly mad, was going to ask what he was doing when a bubble appeared on Dolphin's mouth. The bubble flew away at high speeds outside the castle. "Okay, I sent the message."

"Can we have an explanation?" Viper asked, not understanding what just happened.

The jellyfish grinned proudly. "That is how we communicate here. Bubble messages are the future! We talk in them, a bubble appears, and when it arrives to the recipient, it pops itself saying the things we inserted in it."

"No, I'm sorry," Crane said, about to fly outside the castle, "I won't stay here while Rebecca is with some weirdo alone."

"CRANE!" Viper instantly grasped his leg using her tail, "Calm down! Where do you want to go alone? She could be anywhere! Wait a little longer! If she doesn't show up I promise we all will come with you!"

\-----------------------------------

Rebecca, slowly coming back to her senses, opened her eyes to see nothing more than darkness. Trying to move showed that she had been secured with something. Calling for help wasn't an option either; seaweed sealed her beak. 

'Where am I?!' The scared swan thought before memories brought her back to reality. The octopus kidnapped her! 'Okay, calm down…There must be something I can do...' 

The swan tried to get free by struggling violently only to realize that Octopus had put her right on the throne. 'No, no, no...I hope this thing didn't choose me yet.' Her fears and worries took over causing Rebecca to struggle more in order to loosen the seaweed, but it didn't work.

\-----------------------------------

"Please! There's no need to be so worried!" Dolphin reassured, "Master Octopus is a trusted member of the Royal Guard.. I'm sure he will be here soon."

The cheetah stepped in, tired of the scene. "We all know how he looked at her, don't try to act like you didn't notice. It's just...I can't understand why she followed him."

"Can't we send a bubble message to Rebecca as well?" Mantis asked, "Or...does it not work with us?"

"No, no, the bubble message works with every creature!" The jellyfish replied, "You just need an accessory for it, that's all."

"An...accessory?" Emily replied, curiously.

"Well...the queen always used a pink shell to do her messages. In fact, she put it around her neck."

The fox’s eyes eyes widened remembering a pink shell that the whale gave Rebecca before their departure. "I see. Thank you."

Rebecca, who heard the entire conversation, had the same idea, but when she tried to reach her necklace the shell wasn't there anymore. 'Of course he knew about it..,,' she thought, still, struggling. 'If only I could see… Maybe he left it somewhere in this room.'

Her stone replied to her desire by emitting a warm, green light that pushed away the darkness. As she had figured, the octopus put her inside a secret room where the throne was. He was probably in a hurry and couldn't bring it with him, which was why her pink shell was on the floor. The throne wasn't glued to the ground, so she struggled hard enough to make the chair fall onto the floor. The thump was loud enough, and she wondered for a couple of seconds if someone had noticed.

"What was that noise?" Dolphin asked, turning towards the giant column in the center of the room.

The jellyfish, worried about the throne, headed towards it willingly to check it out. "I'll give it a look."

Just then, the octopus swam inside, upset. "THE TRIBES ARE HERE!" He shouted, calling for help.

The jellyfish instantly gave up the idea, giving much more priority to the attack. "HOW'S THE SHIELD?! IS IT BREAKING?!" He then turned towards his troops. "WE WILL DEFEND THIS PLACE WITH EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!" 

"It will break soon! You have to go!" The perpetrator stated, moving aside. The jellyfish and his troops left, ready to fight back the threat.

Crane headed to him shortly after the jellyfish left. "WHERE IS REBECCA?!"

Meanwhile, the swan, dragging the throne along, crawled as far as possible towards the shell until she finally succeed. 'Okay now...how do I do this? Please necklace help me...tell someone, everyone, that I'm here, stuck in this room. Let them come here and save me..,' she prayed. Her wish came true when a little blue bubble appeared floating in the air. It headed outside.

While Crane was arguing with Octopus the bubble went to Emily and popped, sharing Rebecca's thought with her. 

"I knew it," she whispered looking at the column, "Viper!" 

Meanwhile, the serpent was trying to settle the argument, helping both sides. "I'm...kinda busy at the moment!"

"It's important!"

Viper slithered away, giving up her initial idea to listen to what Emily had to say, "Whatever it is say it fast. I think Crane's going crazy."

"Do you trust me?" The fox straight up asked.

The snake blinked, confused by that sudden question. "Uh...yes, of course I do."

"Then give me a distraction. I know where Rebecca is." She ducked down and whispered, "She's in danger."

Viper didn't really want to entrust her with such mission, but Emily's powers were perfectly suited for a real stealth mission. "Okay. I'm on it."

The snake slithered close to Crane and Mark who were the ones arguing the most on that matter. "Mark, I heard that you and Rebecca are a couple now! I guess it's alright to be worried for her, but you must be patient."

The cheetah instantly blushed, his yellow colouring fading to red. "THAT'S NOT TRUE! WHO TOLD YOU THAT?! WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!"

Crane instantly turned to him, narrowing his eyes, "THEN WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING?!"

"He's right," Viper agreed, "The smiles you gave her, how you guys held each other, those blushes. Those are not signs of a simple friendship, am I right?"

The bird's anger rose further feeling a need to point out again that there is nothing between them. "They are NOT in love, right?"

Mark gulped, feeling awkward and guilty with Crane's glares focused in him. "Yeah...that's right."

Crane walked closer; so close that their faces pressed against one another’s. "I don't believe you're telling me the truth."

Viper felt bad to do such a thing since said thing made the situation worse and more chaotic. Crane, outraged, jumped on him, luring everyone's attention. In that moment, Emily made a clone of herself to stand and watch the scene while the real fox turned invisible. 

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE ON AN IMPORTANT MISSION?!" Crane screamed.

"CRANE, MAN, WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?" Mantis jumped in, trying to divide them.

"I can't believe you asked those people to help us," the octopus exclaimed, outraged.

Emily reached the column, but couldn't just break inside in fear of drawing everyone's attention to herself. She touched it, looking for some sort of secret passage. After realizing that some bricks of that column weren't glued to the others, she removed them quietly and carefully one-by-one and snuck inside.

Rebecca moaned happily as soon as the fox walked in.

"They got you pretty bad, huh?" Emily said ducking down, "This is the first time ever I'm happy to have those." Her sharp claws cut the seaweed that imprisoned her to that cursed chair.

"You can't understand how painful this was..." She whispered, gathering the pink shell from the ground. "Lucky I had this..."

The fox grabbed her wing, "Let's get out of here and wait for this stupid war to end."

"YOU'RE JEALOUS, AREN'T YOU?! THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY YOU WOULD CARE THIS MUCH!" Mark yelled back at him, hitting where he shouldn't have.

Crane was going to attack him, but Rebecca, hearing this whole mess from the beginning and finally free, headed there and intervened,"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?! WHY ARE YOU TWO QUARRELING LIKE THIS?!"

"Rebecca! You're okay!" The bird's anger instantly disappeared as soon as he saw her, but she glared at him, making him take a few steps back.

The octopus, seeing his plan falling apart, slowly swam away probably thinking about a backup plan. The fox blocked his way out. "Are you going somewhere?" She questioned, upset, crossing her arms, "I think you owe us some explanations."

"HE WANTED TO FORCE ME TO GET THE POWER!" Rebecca shouted, pointing her wing at him.

"I WANTED TO AVOID A MASSACRE!" He shouted back at her, "RIGHT NOW, OUTSIDE THE CASTLE, FISHES ARE KILLING EACH OTHER TO GET IN HERE AND GET THE THRONE!"

"I'm so disappointed..." Dolphin said, looking away, "This is not what our beloved queen taught us."

The octopus laughed, "Such nonsense. Would you rather sacrifice one life or thousands of them?! I JUST DID WHAT HAD TO BE DONE."

A terrible feeling overwhelmed Rebecca. She felt guilty somehow. Her desire to run away brought the death of innocent folk. "WE HAVE TO STOP THEM! LET'S GO OUTSIDE! WE MUST DO SOMETHING."

"THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!" The octopus shouted, "That...was the only solution to our problem."

The swan headed towards the window without knowing to do, but she had to do something. "You shouldn't go," Viper said grabbing her leg, "It's not something you want to see..."

Rebecca glanced down, then struggled free. The group followed her shortly after.

"Master Shark!" The jellyfish shouted at him, "There's nothing we can do! We must retreat!"

"PLEASE GIVE UP YOUR IDEA!" Master Shark begged to his tribe, "Don't let this pointless war go on..."

The sharks swam past him. "I'm sorry, Master. This is how things must go."

The swan couldn't handle the sight of fish trying to eat one another, their teeth sinking into other’s flesh with blood staining the water with the color of their sins. The screams, the horror. The Royal Army assisted by Master Shark were desperately trying to stop them, but it was useless. Rebecca ran into Mark's chest, "This is so wrong..." she cried, sobbing. The cheetah held her tighter.

The Royal Army had to retreat inside, but soon the protective bubble would be gone.

"We have to support the army," Viper said, looking at Crane and Mantis. "Let's ask Master Dolphin for some air bubbles."

"You're crazy!" Mantis exclaimed, jumping down Crane's hat and landing next to her. "You saw that, right? We're talking about the entire population of this city!"

"Master Dolphin, what was your plan?" The fox asked impatiently, "You gathered us here, but for what purpose?! The throne didn't choose anyone! Let them in and allow the throne itself to take its choice!"

"There wasn't any plan to begin with," he admitted, "The queen herself said to ask for help from the people who saved us long ago and the throne will find its worthy successor!"

"The queen wanted you as the next one in charge!" The octopus pointed out, "I told you, I warned you. You still have time. Accept your destiny and stop further deaths."

Rebecca pushed Mark away, then glanced over at the throne. Her friends’ eyes widened understanding her decision. She grabbed her tiny pink shell and held it close to her chest. 'You knew this outcome as soon as you saw me, right? Thanks for everything, but if this is my destiny I guess I can't fight it...' The swan thought. Another bubble appeared, heading outside the castle this time.

"Anything else you want to waste your time with?" The octopus glared at her, bringing the throne outside the secret room, waiting for the new queen to sit on it.

She took a deep breath and walked towards it. As soon as Rebecca touched it the whole palace shook, her first though was an actual reaction from the throne, but it wasn't.

"THE BARRIER IS DOWN!" Dolphin shouted swimming over. Water filled the entire castle and the fish proceeded to give everyone air bubbles to keep them safe.

"JUST SIT ON IT!" Master Octopus yelled.

She sat on it, and for a moment, everyone's hopes raised, but nothing happened. "Am I doing it? Is it working?" Rebecca asked. "I mean...I sat on the throne before when the octopus kidnapped me. Maybe something already happened."

Crane shoved her away, "It isn't right to give you such a hard job. Let me take this duty for you." He sat on her place. The two birds obtained the same result.

Rebecca rubbed her beak. "Can't I just pretend to be Walky? I mean...nobody knows that except us."

"NO! STOP EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING!" A voice shouted from the outside. It was so loud that the castle shook again. Everyone recognized the voice, but it felt weird to hear someone as calm, quiet and composed as Master Whale to scream like that.

After that loud shout, the Royal Army led by Master Shark and General Jellyfish swam inside the room as if they were running away from something. The whale entered as well by breaking through the wall. "Oh...there you are," he sighed, relieved that she didn't take power.

"Master Whale..." Rebecca greeted, glancing at him.

The octopus instantly swam to him, upset, "What's wrong with you?! This is such a great dishonor for you and for us! You left your place, broke our rules, and destroyed royal property!"

His presence there was so weird and unexpected that the three tribes stopped their war to look at them. Everyone knew that what he had done was absolutely unforgivable. "I'm here to make things right," he announced, ignoring the other.

"Master Swan, I'm really sorry for what happened to you so far. I should have warned you. I knew what was going to happen and-"

Rebecca put her wing over his giant mouth, hushing him. "It's okay." She forced a smile, even if she felt scared and worried. "I'll just...go outside, embrace this destiny and save everyone from a cruel fate."

"This isn't fair," Whale complained, "This is our city, our people and OUR problem. Why are we giving her the blame for our choices?! I hope you'll forgive me, but I can't let you do that."

"No, please..." The swan opposed, "I don't want to see people dying because of me..."

"If you go outside and pretend to be Walky I'll call out your lie," the whale said, determined to stop her.

"BUT THIS PLACE NEEDS SOMEONE WHO CAN TAKE CARE OF IT!" Rebecca shouted, tears fell off her face.

"I...wish I could do it." Whale replied, saddened by her reaction.

In that moment, Rebecca's necklace shone with green lights. For a moment, it seemed to turn blue, but it lasted for a few moments that nobody actually noticed it. Everyone's attention was drawn towards the throne that replied to the call. It shone with green lights and moved towards them. Their surprise grew when it didn't stop in front of Rebecca, but in front of Master Whale.

"You're the new king," the swan breathed, as if a giant burden fell off her chest, "King Whale, how does it sound? I really like it."

"Am I?" He repeated, as if nothing made sense anymore.

The entire castle glowed with blue lights, conveying the message that the new ruler had been chosen; the civil war was over. "I can't believe that such a low grade servant just became the new ruler," Octopus complained looking at them.

From the outside, the three tribes shouted his name, willing to see their new king. The Royal Guard bowed at him, except for one. Viper, Mantis, Crane and the humans reached Rebecca happy to see that things worked out somehow at the end.

"That's a shame," the cheetah mocked her, "We were ready to call you Your Majesty."

Mark touched her left wing and Rebecca fell on the floor. "Hey, you okay?" Emily asked ducking down.

The fox touched her. "Rebecca?" She sensed that something was wrong and called for help. "SOMEBODY! PLEASE! REBECCA'S NOT FEELING WELL."

Mantis jumped down Crane's hat, landed, and checked his unconscious friend while everyone gathered around, worried for her health.


	18. Weird relationships

"Stop looking at her like that. She's gonna be okay."

"I'm not only worried about Rebecca..."

"Mantis said she probably used too much chi, but we can't actually confirm that."

"While you all were supporting her, I talked with Whale. I figured out something interesting."

"I bet it's related to Crane, isn't it?"

"He suddenly changed the moment he left to clean his hat. Can you imagine what happened?"

"Crane left for a couple of minutes. Even trying you can't change so drastically."

"He told me that his wound isn't a common wound."

"No, wait. Are you saying the scratch on his leg drove him crazy? Be serious..."

"I'm not lying. He said stonefishes have some sort of poison inside their stings."

"A poison that changes your personality?"

"It's...complicated. The effect changes based on the person hit by it."

"Actually it makes sense because Crane acted almost the opposite of how he usually behaves."

"I don't fully agree with it."

"What do you mean? You told me how it works."

"I didn't say he has been forced to change."

"You think he really meant what he did?"

"I think the poison brought outside what he kept hidden. I ask you to keep an eye on him since there's nothing we can do to heal him. He will go back to normal on his own."

"It's for the best if we don't say it to the others. They may look at him differently and things could get worse."

"Exactly. It's pointless."

\----------------------

Rebecca opened her eyes. The first thing she did was stare at the ceiling. For a moment, she thought she woke up at her house, laying on her bed, that everything turned back to normal like how it should have been all along. The girl realized her mistake as soon as she raised her torso and looked around.   
Mark sat right next to her, sleeping. His head lay on her bed with his body kneeled on the ground. He looked after her the whole night and fell asleep in the while doing it. Rebecca smiled, it was a cute thing to do. Her gaze moved towards the opposite bed, the one where Emily should have been on. Crane was there, just like Mark, sleeping.

'What time is it? How long have I been asleep?' She asked herself finally remembering what happened.

They were back. That was her hut and her bed, but so many questions tormented her. Rebecca tried to stand while avoiding waking Mark up. She put her hands on the little shelf next to her, slowly escaped from the sheets and stood up. A green scroll previously on the shelf started to roll down. Rebecca caught it before it could fall on the floor, therefore waking everyone up.

'I've never seen a green scroll before... No wait, it's similar to the one Shifu read when we were sent to Seawe,' Rebecca thought, sitting where she wouldn't bother anyone. 'I wonder how they are. I couldn't say goodbye...'

The girl unrolled the scroll and started to read, "Greetings, Master Whale here. I hope you're okay. When you lost consciousness in front of everyone I freaked out so badly that I completely forgot that I just became king. I suspended everything and instantly brought you back to the palace with your friends. I'm sorry...I actually said it so many times, but it's the truth. I knew you were connected to the queen somehow, not because I actually knew what Octopus told me afterwards, but because I've grown with Walky before she became Queen. She was my best friend. We got you a gift for what you've done for us. Remember the pink shell I gave you? Dolphin upgraded it, but you'll probably have noticed by the time you read this."

Rebecca blushed, embarrassed. She glanced down and saw that the shell was bigger. Now it wasn't a decoration anymore. They had turned it into some sort of container for her stone, like how an oyster hid its pearl. It was beautiful.

The girl kept reading, "You'll probably wonder if it's only a decoration." Rebecca coughed. She didn't think that at all. "It gives you the ability to do bubble messages even on the surface. Why don't you try and send me a reassuring message about your health? That would be wonderful."

The swan grabbed her necklace, held it tight between her wings and put it closer to her chest. She was technically praying. Her shell turned from pink to blue and a bubble appeared. As soon as the bubble disappeared the shell turned back to pink as well.

"Look who's finally awake," Emily greeted, walking inside.

"Oh, hey Emily!" She said, raising her wing, "Good morning."

"Don't say good morning as if nothing happened!" She crossed her arms, upset.

"Well...I collapsed in front of everyone, so I guess it's okay that you guys were worried. Sorry."

"That's not the main reason," stated Tigress, walking inside after the fox.

"Uh...is something wrong?" Rebecca handed over the green scroll, "Master Whale wrote me this. Isn't he the cutest? I mean...in the message everything seemed okay."

"He wrote that message two days ago." Tigress specified, letting her understand the real problem.

"What do you mean two days?! You're saying that I've been sleeping for the past three days?!"

Rebecca's scream woke up Mark and Crane, "Who's yelling like that at this hour?" The cheetah questioned, lowering his head from the bed. He yawned, then scratched his eyes, but his drowsiness disappeared as soon as he saw the swan awake. "ABOUT TIME YOU DECIDED TO GET BACK TO US. I WAS MAJORLY WORRIED."

The swan's face turned red, even if she knew already. "Thank you for everything..." Rebecca mumbled.

Crane didn't seem to be happy for their close friendship. He jumped between the two, behaving as if he didn't notice anything, and checked Rebecca. "Mantis said that you used too much chi in an unusual way, causing you to be excessively exhausted." The bird touched Rebecca's forehead, measuring her temperature. "You're slightly hot, maybe you should rest some more."

The swan felt extremely uncomfortable and backed away "No, no. I'm okay, really."

Mark gulped, fearing Crane's reaction, "I'm going to call everyone." He moved past Tigress and Emily and went outside.

It didn't take much for everyone to gather there, but the hut was too small to let them in. The majority of them waited outside where they would be able to hear everything without problem. Po rushed in, even if he shouldn't have. A giant panda like him occupied too much space for such a little house. "Rebecca!" He shouted, giddy.

"Hey! How's it going?" She smiled, recovering her composure. Po's presence made everything lighter.

"YOU HAVE TO TELL ME EVERYTHING. YOUR ADVENTURE, THE FRIENDS YOU'VE MADE, THE THINGS YOU'VE DISCOVERED, YOUR ROOTS, ANYTHING!" Po screamed, overly excited. The panda kneeled down to reach her height, grabbed her wings with his paws, and begged.

Tigress seemed ready to throw him outside but Fulvio's appearance stopped her.

"OH, NO! YOU WON'T DO THIS THING AGAIN." Fulvio ducked down, grabbed his feet and dragged him away.

"LET ME GO!" Po worthlessly tried to struggle free. His left paw reached out for something to grip on, but nobody helped him.

"DON'T ACT LIKE A CHILD. EMILY, VIPER, MANTIS, CRANE AND MARK TOLD YOU EVERYTHING ALREADY. HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?!"

"BUT I HAVE TO KNOW EVERY SINGLE POINT OF VIEW: WHAT THEY FELT, WHAT THEY THOUGHT, MAYBE SHE KNOWS SOMETHING MORE…NOOOO..." His voice grew faint as he disappeared from everyone's sight.

Rebecca laughed, "I'll be happy to tell him everything he wants to know later."

Lastly, Shifu walked inside. “I'd like to have a moment alone with our swan here. Please leave," he commanded, beating his staff on the floor twice, simulating the sound of paws walking towards the exit.

"Did you find the answers you were looking for?" He curiously asked, waiting for everyone to get out. Shifu sat on the opposite bed. His gaze locked upon her.

"I...discovered weird things, but everything's still a mess. Why are we connected to ancient heroes of this world if we don't even belong here?"

"Our previous grandmaster, Oogway, left small traces behind, but you can't erase the truth completely. Once you find an answer new questions rise. At least, have you found your path?"

"My path?"

Shifu stood up. “Warriors aren't labels created for people who fight and destroy everything in their way." He headed towards the exit, "A true warrior is able to win without killing anybody."

Rebecca stood there, paralyzed, mostly surprised. How did he know about her feelings towards this situation? She didn't tell anybody.

"I honestly can't handle him," the cheetah said sitting next to her. He had eavesdropped on the conversation and snuck inside as the perfect combination of a cat and a thief. "I'm starting to think that he prepares them beforehand, saves them somewhere, and when it's time, spits them out."

"I understood what he wanted to tell me," the swan responded, staring down, "I shouldn't be scared..."

Mark grinned, "I can help you with that. Just give me your diary. I want to read it."

Rebecca turned red again, her embarrassment growing further. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" she shouted, shoving the cheetah outside the room, "YOU ARE BANISHED FROM EVERYTHING THAT'S RELATED TO ME FOREVER!" The swan slammed the door, propped herself on it and slid down, sighing. She noticed that her room was actually a mess. Piece of papers, dishes and card games everywhere on the floor.

There was a knock on the door. The swan instantly stood up, opened it and shouted, "I SAID GO AWAY, MARK!"

"Uh...you okay?" Emily asked, surprised.

"Ah...sorry, thought you were Mark," she replied, moving aside.

The fox walked in, and the swan closed the door again, "I didn't notice, I swear."

Emily silently started to clean their room; gathering every card together, collecting dishes and bowls, then carefully organizing them by putting the plates first and the big bowls above.

“What did you guys do in here while I was unconscious? It’s a mess in here!” Rebecca asked, fixing the sheets and placing them perfectly on the beds.

“We wanted to be sure you were okay, so we decided to take turns looking after you,” the fox said, gathering leftovers scattered on the floor.

“I actually skipped a party inside my room. That’s what you wanted to say.”

She chuckled, “It was quite entertaining, I have to say.”

“THAT’S SO UNFAIR! WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE WHO LOSES OUT ON THE FUN PARTS?!”

“I promise we’ll do it again. You should have seen Po choking himself trying to not laugh with his mouth stuffed with dumplings.” Emily said, teasing her.

“I hate you! Don’t tell me anything. I would die to see it...”

“Die...huh?” Emily’s face turned suddenly gloomy, as if a bad memory struck her mind.

“You okay?” Rebecca snatched the dishes from her paws, “Here. Let me bring those inside the temple.”

“Y-yeah, thank you,” she mumbled, sitting on the bed. Her eyes glanced outside, admiring the background surrounding the Jade Palace.

“If there’s something troubling you please tell me. I’d like to help you...”

“...” The fox didn’t reply, but a soft, reassuring smile appeared on her face instead before she nodded.

Rebecca headed outside, even if something told her that she wasn’t telling her the truth.

-

Po wasn’t screaming anymore, but he kept whining for a while until his lungs couldn’t manage any longer. Fulvio dropped him on the ground, waiting for him to stop, "You done?" He asked, irritated.

"Yeah, I give up," the panda replied, panting.

Fulvio sat on his friend as if Po was some sort of chair, laid his head on his left paw and stared down. "I...wanted to thank you."

"Huh? What for?"

"Because you actually listened to me when I asked you to leave me alone. I know I haven't been the best of a friend. I'm only thinking about myself and-"

Po touched his leg, Fulvio stopped and stood up. "Hey, it's okay. I would freak out as well if, for a mysterious reason, I was sent to another world."

"It's been almost a week, Po. I...can't stop thinking about my family. What are they thinking? My mother, my little brother. I'm making everyone worry for me and I can't tell them that I'm okay!" Sadness, fear and anxiety struck his heart and his ears lowered.

"I wish I could do something for you..."

The human tilted his head, shaking off those feelings, "You have always been here to listen. There's nothing else I could ask you to do."

\------------------------------

Rebecca was heading towards the temple willingly to get rid off the giant pile of dishes and bowls she gathered inside her hut, but stopped right in front of the border when Emily passed by with a tormented expression painted on her face.

"Hey, Rebecca, what are you doing?" Crane asked, seeing that she wasn't moving, like a statue. Only her eyes were moving following the fox.

"Do me a favor." The girl shoved the pile to a confused Crane who grabbed them reluctantly, "Bring these inside. I have something important to do."

"N-No! Wait!" The bird contested, but she quickly fled.

The swan silently followed her friend, interested to know what was wrong and eventually help her out. The fox suddenly turned invisible. Rebecca thought for a moment that she had noticed her, but as soon as the girl gave a look around she saw Fulvio and Po talking to each other. Emily was there, spying on them right behind one of the columns. A smirk appeared on her face; everything made sense now.

"There is something you can actually do for me," Fulvio said to Po.

"Really?!" His voice grew louder instantly, filled with excitement.

"You wanted to hang out, right? I'd like to see the village..." He mumbled shyly.

In that moment, Rebecca, who snuck behind Emily, pushed her right in front of them. The fox panicked and instantly turned towards the author of that terrible joke. A mixture of fear, anger and surprise hit her when Rebecca raised her wing, as if she wanted to give a thumbs up.

"Oh...hey Emily," Po greeted her.

The fox had to turn back to them, hiding Rebecca's presence. "H-hey, how's it going?" She mumbled.

Fulvio stayed silent. The thought that she might have heard everything totally scared him.

"Fulvio wanted to get something to eat. Are you busy? I can't accompany him right now..." He said, putting his right paw on his back.

The panda’s eyes widened at the lie, but his embarrassment stopped him from talking while Emily seemed reluctant to answer.

"Come on, say yes!" The swan whispered from the column, "That's the answer he's waiting to hear."

The fox gulped, giving up any idea related to her running away. "S-Sure! I was actually heading there!" She replied, doing a laugh impossible to mistake for a real one.

"Ok then!" Po declared, then he got closer to Fulvio and whispered into his ear, "Good luck buddy, have fun."

Those words made the panda's face turn totally red. The black and white patterns were gone for good until Emily looked at him, then his colors instantly returned. "Shall we?" He asked, trying to act as if nothing had happened so far, and that Po hadn't organized some sort of date all of a sudden.

"Sure, let's go to Mr. Ping. I'm hungry." She lead the way, hiding her embarrassed face from him.

 

Po waited, waving goodbye until they disappeared down the one thousand steps. Fulvio pointlessly tried to argue with his friend, gesticulating some sort of 'what is the meaning of this?!', Another thumbs up and a wink was his answer.

As soon as he was out of sight, the panda ducked down and rolled towards the edge of the stairs before he completely laid on the ground, silently spying on them. Rebecca saw that and laughed. The swan approached him and put her foot on his back, making him freak out, "GAH!" He shouted, scared.

Po put his paws over his mouth hoping the couple didn't hear him and turned towards Rebecca, "Were you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

The girl laughed again, "I don’t believe stealth is really...your thing," she teased, raising him up, then laying him on her back. "Let's follow them from the sky."

"Can you...hold me?" He asked, perplexed.

"Weirdly enough, I actually can."

 

\------------------------------

While Rebecca was in a three day coma, everyone kept training. For her, it wasn’t completely bad. Leo, for example, never stopped his exercises to improve telekinesis. When Shifu saw that the human was totally able to ignore Monkey and his terrible puns, he ordered him to start an actual fight with a little surprise.

"I see that you're getting better," the red panda said, moving the scroll away from him, "Now we'll test how much endurance you've developed in these days." Shifu picked up two more scrolls and threw them at the lion. "Those must not touch the ground for any reason."

The human, hearing him, blocked them in the air with his power and moved the scrolls towards him. "Okay...it sounds manageable."

"I'm glad you think so," Shifu stated with a smile. Right behind him Simon appeared, "Show me how far you can go." The red panda moved away, letting the training start.

Monkey jumped on Leo immediately, trying to hit him, punching everywhere he could afford to. The human kept backing away, not knowing how to respond. Simon then decided to get him from behind, thinking that he wouldn't be able to escape. The lion saw him and floated away, thus the crocodile hit Monkey instead. Simon giggled as the Simian glared at him cuddling his face.

"Remember that fairness doesn't exist. Your enemies will do everything they can to put you down. It's important to learn how to fight and win under some restrictions," Shifu reminded him, watching the scene.

The lion's first thought was actually surviving. There was no way he would win that. It may sound possible to an old grand master who did this his whole life, but it indeed wasn't a fair fight to him. He was technically limited due to the scrolls he had to keep up in the air. No ideas came to mind except for dodging and running away.

“There’s always a solution in every problem,” their master continued, “Sometimes you just need to find the missing clue.”

Leo tried to think about any sort of clue he could have left behind. Maybe he wanted to tell him to analyze the situation, to look for some flaws in their behavior? He noticed that his friends weren’t much coordinated; they’ve never fought together before so it’s understandable, but it wouldn’t help him to get out of the situation.

Simon got him with his tail, throwing Leo on the floor. He endured the pain and saved the scrolls just in time. “Fine, I’ll just grab them and put them down,” the crocodile muttered, annoyed by his tenacity.

A realization struck him with Shifu’s words echoing in his mind. ‘The scrolls must not touch the ground.’

As soon as Simon ran again towards him Leo threw the scrolls up in the air, turning off his telekinesis, and blocked his punched, kicking the crocodile in the stomach using his left knee to push him away. The lion caught the scrolls with his paws. In that action, Monkey saw an opening. He couldn’t protect himself or run away if he was still focused on Simon. The human saw him, but instead of throwing the scrolls away or dodging him, he gathered them in one paw, waited, and used them as some sort of bat, hitting the Simian in the face.

Shifu’s raised his hand. “That’s enough. I’m glad you can think of a strategy in the middle of a fight, but remember that they won’t give you enough time.”

“I thought he couldn’t let the scrolls go. Nobody mentioned that he could use them as weapons,” Simon muttered, crossing his arms.

“I didn’t say how he should have kept them in the air,” Shifu remarked, “I just said don’t let them touch the ground.”

The old master sent the lion away, then headed towards the other humans who were training with their partners, stopping in front of Mark. “I need to see your abilities against someone on your level.” He pointed his staff at the cheetah, “I’d like to see you spar with Crane.”

Viper felt like he knew about what happened between them and not just their silly quarrel. She moved closer with an intent to keep an eye on the situation. In fact, she pretended to act normal while doing her daily training inside the training hall.

“Today’s training is over,” Shifu exclaimed, beating his staff on the floor, “Everyone out except for Crane and Mark.”

The serpent froze. Did he notice her? The sudden decision cleared away every doubt she had. Her master knew, but she couldn’t say if that was a good or bad thing.

“Master, is something wrong?” Tigress complained while everyone left, “You’ve never done this before. You even let Po and Fulvio skip their training today.”

“I believe everyone is different. I can’t force someone to stay in here if they aren’t ready to do so.” A smirk appeared on his face, making Tigress unsure of what he actually said.

“Sure, I don’t doubt your judgement,” she humbly replied, bowing to him, then she left.

"I heard there were some...disagreements while you were on the mission," Shifu began, looking at them.

"Forgive me, master," Crane said, bowing, "I let my emotions get the best of me. That is unforgivable."

Mark crossed his arms and gave them his back. "I can't stand the ones who don't say what they really think."

The bird glared at him, "You think I'm lying? I really mean those things."

"I have no reason to talk with someone like you, honestly. The facts tell things, not the words," the cheetah said, leaving the training hall.

 

Crane narrowed his eyes, angered by his behaviour, and tried to attack him. Mark didn't expect it, and when he turned to him it was too late.

 

"Enough!" Shifu shouted, jumping between them. He blocked Crane's kick with his staff and pushed him away, "If you want to fight against someone who can't match your skills you have to go through me first."

 

The bird’s eyes widened, realising his mistake. “I-I…” He tried to mumble something back, but there was no excuse for such terrible behavior and he knew that. Crane covered his guilty face behind his hat and flew outside.

“I see, that’s interesting,” Shifu commented, rubbing his chin.

“What’s so interesting in Crane trying to kill me?!” Mark muttered back, “First Rebecca, now him. I guess it’s a birdie thing.”

The red panda ignored him. “You can come out, Simon. I actually need your help. We’re missing a partner for Mark.”

“A sparring partner, huh?” The crocodile taunted, walking outside his hideout right behind the entrance, “Can I break him?”

Mark shivered, fists clenched together. “But that wouldn’t be a spar anymore, right?” He glanced towards Shifu, seeking some reassurance. “Why aren’t you replying?”


	19. Love is complicated

Leo closed himself inside his hut from the moment his daily training ended. Sitting on his chair, the lion wrote things on several scrolls at the same time. There wasn't enough space for him with scrolls practically everywhere; on his shelf, his bed, Mark's bed, even on the floor, half unrolled. At first, the tools he had to work with seemed weird and awkward. Leo still wished for a real pen and a clean, white piece of paper. A feather wasn't really a comfortable tool to write down theories and thoughts, but he passively accepted everything they had to offer.

"Leo! You there?" Mantis called from the outside.

"Uh-huh..." He replied, acknowledging his presence, but still focused on his work.

"Hey..." The bug said, sliding the door open and walking inside, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find some answers..." Leo mumbled quickly, moving the scroll he was currently work on to write on another one.

"Answers? About what?" Mantis jumped on the shelf and curiously glanced over his work.

"About everything, Mantis..." The lion said, using his telekinesis to gather the scrolls, "We know practically nothing..."

"We learned that you guys are the ancient heroes, that's a start."

"I don't know Mantis. That's not a thing I can confirm so easily...First, I'd like to discover how my world has been connected to yours."

"That's what Shifu said. Don't you believe him?"

"I didn't say that. The element of sharing the same personality is an important clue. We know why we've been chosen, that's important."

Mantis took a peek at the scroll. "Then...why am I here too?" He asked, pointing his right pincher to some drawings of him, the human and the lion.

"Because I don't think I'm the only one connected to them. Think about it. Isn't it weird that only your chi brought me here? I'm sure that yours couldn't have brought a Simon or a Mark."

"Maybe that's why Shifu paired us with the human we found..."

"And there's more! I want to know what kind of bond we share, what happened in the past that caused our worlds to have a relation between each other and...are we here really to seal a portal? What makes us so important? Couldn't you guys do it? I can't believe we have been dragged here just for that."

"Leo, Leo, Leo. You have to calm down, okay? Why don't you rest a bit? I'm pretty sure you didn't sleep to make those."

"I'm sorry, that's a bad habit of mine. I can't sleep knowing I didn't do anything..."

"Rebecca woke up. Maybe she found something interesting."

The lion's ears instantly raised hearing the news that gave him a reason to keep going. He stood up and went for the door, but Mantis blocked the way. "STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE."

"What's wrong?"

Mantis glared at him, crossing his pinchers. "You know."

The human rolled his eyes to the sky. "Okay, I get it. I'll ask her later."

"Don't look at me like that! It's not healthy. You can think better with a fresh mind."

\---------------------

Shifu's eyes moved side to side, switching from Mark to Simon. The training course helped him to better understand what kind of fighting style suited them best. The crocodile excelled in parts using his strength; he broke everything that stood in his path. The cheetah, instead, didn't show any interest on destroying stuff, but gracefully dodged every obstacle in his way, already showing a great control over his agile body.

"Okay, I've seen enough," Shifu said, calling them back to him, "I'm surprised to see such development in such short time."

"Yeah, yeah. Mark's really good at dodging. Thanks for pointing that out. You don't win a fight by just moving around. You must also fight back. I didn't see any punch or kick," the crocodile complained, crossing his arms.

"I've never punched before," the cheetah admitted.

"You serious?" Simon’s eyes widened while a fang pointed at him.

"I dislike violence, but if we have to, I'll try."

"Let me get this straight. You're a thief and have survived stealing what you needed, yet...you've never fought.”

"Basically."

Simon put his claws on his face, trying to contain himself. "Okay... never thought I would say this, but let's teach you a thing or two about classic fights."

\---------------

A panda and a fox were on their way to Mr. Ping’s restaurant. Their silence was way more different than the one they shared their first time together. No one had the intention of saying something. Fulvio was looking at his left, Emily her right, both staring into the background. Rebecca, with Po on top of her, saw everything happening while flying in the sky.

"Can I ask you a question?" The swan asked, staring down the thousand steps.

"Yeah."

"Does Fulvio feel something for her? I mean... you acted like you knew everything all along."

"Wait, wait, wait," Po repeated moving his paws, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not a romantic guy! I just saw Emily's face and understood that she probably had to tell him something important, alone."

Rebecca remembered how weird she had acted while they were cleaning the hut, but it didn't make any sense. "We have to help them," she stated, worried.

"That's something I would totally do, but how? We can't just land in front of them..."

"Pull one of my feathers." 

"Huh?!" Po startled, surprised by the unexpected request.

"Pull one and throw it at them like a shuriken! You...can do it, right?"

"Of course I can, but you're literally asking me to hurt them!"

“It’s a feather,” she remarked, “and... you just need to aim somewhere safe. It will help them break the ice. They will help each other by carrying the other one all the way to the restaurant, for example. Such a romantic situation!” Rebecca exclaimed, blushing.

“Y-Yeah… totally,” Po mumbled sarcastically.

Fulvio bit his lips, slowly turned to Emily and said, “Emily, listen I-” As soon as the fox turned towards him, the courage built up along the way instantly disappeared, so he panicked. “I...wanted to point out how beautiful this day is!” He said, adding an awkward laugh.

Emily raised a brow, “It...sure is nice?” she agreed, not sure of what he wanted to do.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes looking at that scene. “Come on! You saw that, right? Do something Po!”

Po's face twisted with worry. The peer pressure plus the awkward situation brought more anxiety upon him. "J-just one, okay?" The panda mumbled, still unsure of what he was doing.

"I promise. I won't force you to do it again. As soon as you throw it I'll fly somewhere safe where they won't see us," the swan reassured.

The Dragon Warrior took one and checked if what she planned to do was possible. While Rebecca complained about how strong he had pulled the feather, the panda noticed something interesting and unusual. The feather was extremely sharp as if she took care of it everyday, but, knowing her, that was impossible. “Fine… let’s see what I can do.”

Po moved the feather a few times, focused by closing his eyelids, and threw the feather at Fulvio. Rebecca's enthusiasm crumbled when the Dragon Warrior missed and the feather landed right behind them, planting itself on the step.

"Oops... I missed," Po said, smiling. "That's very, very bad, but we tried, right?"

"You missed on purpose, didn't you?" The swan asked, upset.

"Me?! Don't be stupid I would never-"

"Then try again."

"We agreed on just one, remember?"

"We also agreed on hitting one of them!"

"I'm a warrior not an archer!”

Their quarrel became loud enough that Fulvio heard them from the distance. His right ear raised and his head instantly turned towards the source. The panda stopped and stared at them, too scared to understand what they were doing. He knew that whatever they wanted to do he was going to be involved in it.

Emily noticed that Fulvio wasn't coming and turned to him, concerned. "Is everything alright?"

The panda quickly lowered his head, hoping that she wouldn't check the sky. "Yes!" He shouted far too loudly, "All good here."

The fox didn't believe him. She crossed her arms and turned around, trying to see what he saw, but couldn't find anything. "Uhm... you sure?"

She came so close that Fulvio had to walk backwards, "Yeah I thought I saw some- AUGH!"

The panda, walking away, stepped on the thrown feather sharp enough to sting him as soon as he touched it. Fulvio lost balance and fell. The fox caught him, therefore avoiding a rumbling fall downstairs. "You're giving me quite the hard time you know..."

"At least I'm not boring you," he stated standing up, "Ever thought about puzzles?"

"What?"

"Yeah, gather the clues I've been dropping and reach the truth!"

Emily snorted, "That doesn't make any sense. I thought I saved you, but I'm starting to think you bumped your head somewhere!"

"I honestly have no idea of what I'm saying and why I said that," he quickly justified, walking past her then running towards the village.

The fox laughed, looking at him going away, "That's okay! I'll try to solve the puzzle!"

Emily ducked down and pulled out the feather stuck inside the step. "I guess this is easiest difficulty," she thought out loud, putting the feather inside her pocket before heading to Fulvio, who headed towards Mr. Ping's place.

\--------------------------------

The swan laid on the ground, exhausted. She pushed herself too much, but at least Rebecca learned how to land right. Po raised her and put her on his back. She was lighter than anyone else, except for Mantis, and was easy to carry.

"This... shouldn't have... happened," she breathed out, trying to fill her tired lungs.

"Relax, everything's fine. We actually helped them using the less harmful way," Po said, walking down the village.

"To Mr. Ping, right?" She asked, laying her face on the softest spot she could have found around Po's neck.

"I'm sure they will come here," he replied, turning to the left, then heading to the backdoor entrance. "We shall wait here and watch the scene from the kitchen," the panda knocked on the door, "and let me do the thinking part this time."

"LI SHAN!" Ping shouted from the kitchen.

"WHAT IS IT?" The giant panda replied back from the second floor of the house.

"THAT PIG'S BACK!"

"PIG? YOU MEAN THE ONE WHO WANTED TO SELL YOU THAT FUTURISTIC LADLE?"

"YES! CAN YOU TELL HIM TO GO AWAY? I'M KINDA BUSY HERE..."

"I'D LIKE TO DO SO, BUT I'M BUSY TOO!"

"IT'S GETTING ANNOYING. NOBODY IS GOING TO FALL FOR HIS TRICK. ANYONE CAN SEE THAT THING IS A FAKE."

"IS IT? I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY GOOD."

"YOU'RE SO NAIVE SOMETIMES. IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A NORMAL LADLE AND HE WANTED US TO BUY IT AT A HIGHER PRICE."

"OR...MAYBE YOU'RE TOO PARANOID."

Po's eyes danced from the first floor to the second one, following their voices. "Uh...dads? It’s me, Po! Open the door."

"Po? What are you doing here?" Ping asked. Sounds of dishes and iron tools clashing together could be heard inside the kitchen while waiting for him to open the door.

“Wait, do you have two fathers?” Rebecca curiously inquired, getting down from Po’s back.

“Isn’t it awesome?”

“So… do you have two moms as well?”

“That would be so cool, but no. My adoptive father never married and my biological mother sacrificed herself in order to save me when I was cub,” Po explained nonchalantly, as if it was a thing everyone did every day.

“I see…” The swan replied reluctantly, caught off by Po simplicity, “Thanks.”

"Son why did you use this entrance? Is something wrong?" Ping said as soon as he unlocked the door, letting Po inside.

"We're waiting for a thing," Po mumbled, not sure of how to explain the concept of spying his friends' date, "A mission. Let's say that."

"We?" Ping remarked, confused. Until he saw the swan behind the panda.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" Rebecca waved her wing at him.

Ping gasped, turned towards the stairs and shouted, "LI! COME OVER HERE. NOW!"

Li Shan didn't reply, but his lousy footsteps climbing downstairs did for him, "I told you I was writing a message for the village, what's wrong? Did the pig go away?"

"Hey dad!" Po said, waving his paw.

"Lotus!" He said, heading for a hug, but stopped halfway to the end when he saw that beautiful bird next to him, "Ohhh... and what we have here."

Ping instantly went to Rebecca and checked her thoroughly, "Interesting," He said to himself, rubbing his beak, "Show me your wings."

"I'm sorry?" Rebecca replied, startled, but she couldn't argue because Mr.Ping grabbed them and opened her wings to see for himself.

"Dad what are you doing?" Po asked, confused.

"Ok, son. I didn't expect you to fall in love with a bird, but I understand and respect your choice, besides she's really good looking." Ping said, smiling happily.

Po blushed, caught off guard by that misunderstanding, "Dad what have you understood!"

"That's something I wasn't ready for, I admit it." Li said, overwhelmed by that news, "I'll try to be a good grandfather."

The swan laughed in the background while Po tried to tell them the truth, "Dads, she's not my girlfriend!"

"What were you expecting us to think. You come here alone with a girl!" Ping said, upset. "I want a nephew. I won't live forever!"

Li Shan ducked down and whispered to Ping, "I thought it was a bit strange, I remembered he liked that tiger girl..."

Rebecca poked Po with her wing, "Uhhhh that's interesting."

The Dragon Warrior covered his red, embarrassed face with his paw, "We're here to watch over our friends, nothing else."

"You mean Fulvio with that fox over there?" Li Shan said, pointing his finger at them.

Po instantly grabbed his arm, lowered it down and with Rebecca looked for a place to hide.

"Should I take that as don't tell them we're here?" Ping said, letting Li Shan go to them.

"Dad..." Po whispered, slowly raising his head out of his hideout, "Give me an update on the situation, I can't see it clearly..."

"Po, I don't understand what should I tell you. Fulvio and that fox are giving their orders to Li," then his eyelids lowered, annoyed, "and your friend's taking so much to decide what to eat."

"Oh, that is normal," Po said, "How do they look like? Is the fox happy? Smiling? And Fulvio?"

"The fox is laughing," Ping explained, "I agree with her. He's being over dramatic."

"Don't say that!" Po said, "He has a hard time when it comes to eat..."

"Hard time..." Rebecca repeated, upset, "Fulvio hates everything, such a spoilt kid."

Po stood up and looked at them for himself, a soft happy smile appeared on his face when he saw them talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company, "I think we should leave now..." moving his eyes at the swan.

"Can't we stay until the end?" Rebecca asked, "I understand you'd like to not interrupt them, but..." she stood up as well and stared at Emily.

"Rebecca, I don't think this is a good idea..." Po said, while Li Shan came back inside the kitchen.

"How did it go?" The swan walked past the dragon warrior and went toward Li Shan.

"Fine?" He replied, extremely confused, "Who wouldn't be happy after receiving a message about Nova's ancient history."

Po widened his eyes and moved Rebecca away, "What? Did I skip something?"

Li Shan put his paw on his face, "Sorry I forgot to tell you. I've been exchanging letters with the panda village and something came out when they heard that name. Someone's on his way here to bring us useful information," then he turned to Ping, "Those two want some noodles soups by the way."

"Who's Nova?" The swan asked from behind Po's back, "Is he an hero like the one I have?"

"Yeah, something like that," Po nodded.

"READY!" Ping shouted, handing over the soups to Li Shan.

"Once they finish fly back to the palace as fast as you can. I have a thing to finish and I'd like to do it before Fulvio will be back," Po explained, toying with an action figure among his paws.

\---------------------------------

Emily glued her eyes at Fulvio from the moment their food arrived. She saw how happy he was, how he enjoyed the simplest things they did together. A smile appeared on her face, followed by a giggle when he literally threw his face inside the dish, but something bugged her. It didn't let her fully enjoy the time they were spending together. She turned towards her own plate and her appetite was gone. The fox put the chopsticks inside and started to play with the noodles inside, twisting them together.

"Weren't you hungry?" Fulvio asked, stopping from eating. A few noodles were still hanging down his mouth and the chopsticks.

"Y-Yeah, I am..."

The panda quickly cleaned himself and put down the sticks, "I know something's wrong, but you can still pretend to be alright if you want to..."

The fox took a deep breath, “You’re right. I wanted to not hurt your feelings, but this is stupid. I’ll be blunt. Do you like me?”

Fulvio felt weird. He didn't think about it nevertheless her question struck deep inside his chest, his heart rumbled as it never did before. The panda might have developed some feelings for her unconsciously. Fulvio bit his lips, while his face turned red. He tried to find a more comfortable position on his chair, rubbing his now sweaty paws on his legs, "I think you're nice and I really like your company."

Emily couldn't find enough courage to look into his eyes when he said that, "This is really hard for me to say, I'll hope you understand. We can't hang out anymore."

"..." The panda looked down, staring into his own reflex the soup gave back to him. He didn't know what to say or think. He felt empty.

"I'm sorry."

Those words triggered something within and, even if he didn't talk tears fell off his face, "I'm sorry too."

The fox instinctively reached out for him, lending her paw towards the panda, but he pushed it away, "No, don't touch me," he said, tilting his head, then Fulvio stood up and ran away, leaving her alone.

Emily watched as he disappeared outside, her paw still moving towards him, but no word came out to call him back. She sighed, putting her paws on her face, then laying on the table. The fox knew that any choice she was going to pick it would have ended the same way, this one just hurt less than the others.


	20. Opinions

It happened so fast that Rebecca couldn't believe what had transpired. For a second she thought she may have skipped something. Her eyes glued to Emily’s figure in the distance, blinking incredulously at the surrealistic situation. The swan usually knew what to do, always the first to react, even if it meant following her messed up instinct, but in that moment Rebecca froze.

 

"PO, WAIT! YOU CAN'T JUST-"

 

The swan finally came back to her senses when Ping's awfully loud voice rang in her head. She turned around noticing that Po wasn't there anymore before recalling him mentioning something about him paying for their lunch, then he mumbled about catching up with Fulvio.

 

"I can't accept my son's money," Ping said, handing over Rebecca a little bag filled with Juan. "Can you give it back?"

 

The swan accepted the bag reluctantly, "Sure..." she breathed out, turning back to Emily.

 

Her position didn't change from the moment Fulvio ran away. After hanging the bag around her waist, the swan flew over.

"Care to explain?" Rebecca asked, upset about everything: from her choices to her final reaction, as if Emily had just given up.

 

"There's nothing to explain..." the fox replied. She didn't even turn to look at her. Emily simply remained with her face on the table; only her lower jaw moved to form words.

 

Whatever Emily was thinking, the swan didn't buy it. "I know you like him, so why did you do that?"

 

The fox raised her head from the table. "I just did what I had to do. Please don't make this harder for us."

 

"For us," Rebecca laughed, hearing how her friend entitled herself with the power to choose for Fulvio as well. "Whatever the reason is, you did it for a selfish reason. That guy didn't decide anything."

 

"I'm not selfish! If you could understand you wouldn't say that!" She said, bumping her fist on the table.

 

"Then go ahead. Tell me why."

 

Emily trembled, turning her head away and clenched her teeth, "My actual condition is...unknown."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Remember what I said when we talked about our last moments in our world before...this?"

 

Rebecca slowly nodded, feeling that some bad news was coming.

 

"I recovered those memories. It happened while you were asleep."

 

"So?" The swan had to push her to keep talking because she stopped and started to stare into the nothingness.

"I... may no longer be alive."

"What are you saying..?" Rebecca stepped away. This was something she could never have anticipated.

 

"... I was tormented. How was I supposed to stay here, waiting to do God-knows-what, knowing something like that? I had nobody to talk to. I mean, what they could do about it? If I'm dead, you must accept it."

 

"What was it?"

 

"A car accident, someone ran me over."

 

"Emily, I-"

 

"I'm sorry? If that's what you were going to say please keep it to yourself. You can't help everyone and what you did made my situation worse! I didn't want to ask him to hang out, I was waiting. I had to talk to him alone, I wanted to save him from further pain..."

 

"Still... IT WASN'T YOUR CHOICE TO MAKE! HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! HE TRUSTED YOU AND YOU SIMPLY BETRAYED HIM!"

 

“You’ll never understand the situation or how I feel.”

"Hmph… Mom said the same and look what she did to me..." The swan mumbled to herself, not loud enough for Emily to hear. She flew away, heading back to the palace.

 

\-----------------------------------

Po hurried back to the thousand steps, willing to catch up with Fulvio. He felt like he had to though he didn’t know what to say once he found him. The panda knew that something about their conversation was off. If Po could imagine what it was, his help could fix their mistakes.

“Rebecca..!?” 

In the middle of his run, the swan passed by, flying back to the palace. He hadn’t even noticed her presence until a bag full of yuan fell from the sky and landed right in front of him. Po raised his head and saw her, calling out to no avail. She was upset somehow. He wondered what she said to Emily and what her reply was. Po felt... useless. His friends were suffering for reasons he couldn’t understand!

Fulvio was now in sight. Po was faster than him, and right at the bottom of the stairs, the panda caught his friend by grabbing his brown jacket. 

“Lemme...talk to you for a sec...” The Dragon Warrior was exhausted from all that running. He took a deep breath, then tried to dry off his sweat by moving his arm across his forehead. “Don’t run off like that. You know it’s hard for me to follow you...”

“Where did I go wrong?” Fulvio inquired, sniffing.

“Listen, there’s nothing with-“

“I should have lied!” He said, upset, “That way she wouldn’t have to push me away...”

Po narrowed his eyes and turned the human towards him ready to speak his mind, but his determination to sort things out softened upon looking at his face invaded by tears flowing rapidly down flushed cheeks.

"You did the right thing. Why would you even think to lie? Will that make you happy? Knowing that you didn't open up to her just because you wanted to keep her close to you?"

 

"I think I really love her..."

 

"That's why you have to let her go. If she und-"

 

"Please, stop! You know nothing about these things, yet you're giving me advice on how I should handle it! IF YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL YOU WOULDN'T SAY THAT!"

Po’s eyes widened, upset by his reply. The panda was paralyzed. Fulvio moved Po's paws from his shoulders, turned towards the stairs again, and began to run away. The Dragon Warrior stood there, watching him leave until it was pointless to look at the fading figure. A part of him hoped that Fulvio would stop, turn around, and simply apologize, but he knew it wasn't going to happen.

 

Po glanced down at his feet, looking at the bag Rebecca gave back to him . He ducked down and grabbed it.

 

"I... know how you feel, Fulvio," Po stated aloud, regretting his choice to stay silent. A sigh escaped his mouth.

 

\-------------------------------------------

The crocodile didn't say a word, carefully following the cheetah's movements above him.

 

Mark was simply taking advantage of his disposition to climb and run faster than anyone else. The animal seemed to have quite some fun jumping from column to column, dancing around the training course, and laying his body on chained logs while using his tail to lower himself down.

 

"So... uh... can you explain to me again what's the purpose of doing this? I mean...it is fun, but will this really help me in a fight?" Mark questioned, putting his hands behind his head to form some sort of pillow for the upside-down cheetah.

 

"Physical strength may be important, but there are plenty of things you can use to conquer your opponent. For example, you could easily disorient your foe if he can't stick his eyes on you," Shifu explained, stroking his beard.

 

"I’d like to test your strength though. Come here and try to hit me," Simon ordered, raising his claws to defend himself.

"Okay, let's see what this awesome body can offer!" Mark exclaimed, dropping down.

The cheetah jumped to the crocodile as soon as his feet touched the ground. Simon held back his punch, putting his arm in the way as a shield. Mark’s eyes widened in shock. Simon didn't attack him, yet he hurt him. The crocodile grinned and pushed him away, opening his arms.

 

"Don't tell me that you thought giving a punch wasn't going to hurt you," the reptile mocked, looking at Mark as he cuddled his paw with the other one.

 

"I wasn't expecting it to be so hard..."

 

"That's because you never did it before. You need to learn how control and tolerate the pain."

Shifu pulled something white from his vest and threw it to Mark, "You shouldn't fight a crocodile barehanded on the first try. Protect your paws."

 

"Bandages?" The cheetah asked, catching the roll.

 

"I see. This is going to be a hard one then," Simon said, amused and interested.

 

Mark wrapped his paws with the bandages Shifu gave to him and resumed his training. The cheetah started to do consequential attacks; one punch after another using both paws. Mark's face clearly portrayed fatigue and pain, but this time he wasn't going to stop, determined to do his best. Over time his attacks became stronger and faster. The improvements Mark had in such a short time were unbelievable! Simon really struggled to hold his place and not fight back. The cheetah's necklace started to shine, surprising the crocodile enough that he lowered his arms and Mark's punch went through, hitting Simon's face. The cheetah froze. He didn't expect to be able to get him. Simon quickly turned his body and slapped Mark on the ground with his tail.

 

"That's what you get for using such a cheap tactic on me!" He angrily replied.

 

"What... are you talking about?!" The feline opposed, standing up again.

 

"Don't play dumb with me! Your necklace didn't shine for no reason."

 

"It was just for a brief moment, but yes it did shine," Shifu confirmed, "I gathered some valuable knowledge with today's training. For now please rest and try to avoid Crane for a while. I'll ask Monkey to stay closer to you for the time being."

 

"This isn’t something I usually say, but don't get killed. I want to see how far you can go," Simon grinned, threatening him with his fangs.

Mark walked away, raising his paws. "I think you're the one who's trying right now!"

 

"Our bodies don't share the same wounds. Keep that in mind, it may be useful in the future." -------------------------------

The swan landed right in front her hut, slid the door open and closed it when she walked inside. Rebecca couldn't contain her emotions or her pain any longer. She kept chanting, "I don't want to hear this again, I can't deal with this any longer". The swan covered her head with her wings, sat on the bed and struggled to keep herself composed. Her eyelids squeezed shut, as if the stress would ease the harder she squeezed . Nothing was working! Her memory brought back to life the nightmare once again.

 

"Mom...you okay? You're so cold..." A young girl observed, touching and cuddling her mother who’s been laid on a bed.

"I'll cover you with another blanket.” She hurried back with a huge comforter probably made for bigger beds.

"Dad? What's wrong with Mom? Why isn't she waking up? Did I do something wrong?" The girl cried out, asking a busy man who seemed too focused on talking with someone on the phone.

 

"What are you doing? Please stop... Don't touch her! Why are they covering her?! She won't be able to breath!" The young child screamed, violently shaking her father’s shirt and hoping that it would make him take action.

 

"Dad why aren't you stopping them?" She fell on her knees, watching the strangers moving her mother away from the bed. She couldn’t leave.

 

"DON'T TAKE MY MOM AWAY FROM ME!" Rebecca shot back up and desperately chased after them, since her father wasn’t.

"MOM! MOM!" The girl kept shouting her name, while her father now held her down. She struggled until her rage wore off.

"...Was it my fault?" She sobbed, staring at her dad who simply vanished, allowing her to stand up.

 

"You can't save everyone. I'm dead, Rebecca." Emily’s voice rang through her head. That phrase struck harder than anything else she ever heard in her entire life.

 

Rebecca shot her eyes open when a knocking sound brought her back to...this reality.

 

"Hey! Can I come in? I know you're in there!" Viper's voice happily hummed, oblivious of everything.

 

The swan felt her wet face and found it weird how she didn't notice she was crying until now. "Y-Yes! Just give me a sec," she replied, pretending to be okay.

 

The girl quickly wiped away her tears and fixed herself. She didn't want to let them know about it. As soon as she felt decent enough, the swan went towards the door and slid it open, finding the snake waiting outside with a green scroll wrapped around her tail.

 

"Is that from Seawe?" She asked, pointing at the message.

 

"That's right." The serpent moved her tail towards her, handing over the scroll. "I guessed it was for you once it arrived. No one read it, don't worry. Mark tried, I admit, but I slapped him away."

 

"Thanks," Rebecca said to cut the conversation short and get back inside.

 

"Wait!" Viper hesitated, sliding her tail in the way as the bird was closing the door.

 

"Is there...something else you need?" 

"Do you know where Emily is? I've been looking for her all around the palace."

 

The girl, annoyed, narrowed her eyes. She would have preferred Viper's concern instead of a stupid question about...her. "If she didn't come back yet then she must be at Ping's place."

"I see, thank-" Before Viper could finish her phrase, Rebecca closed the door. She blinked, staring at the closed door, disoriented by that reaction.

 

"I'll get going... then," she murmured, lowering her voice as the phrase tumbled out of her mouth. Not sure if leaving like that was going to be rude towards the human, but she received some 'don't-talk-to-me' vibes and Viper's awkward behavior instantly increased. She wondered if they had an argument of something, but that thought died as she slithered down the thousand steps and saw a crying Fulvio running back towards the place she just left.

 

"Hey! What's wrong?!" She shouted, trying to get his attention, but he didn't stop.

Viper's concern grew more and some thoughts made her realize that more people were involved in some delicate matter that clearly went wrong.

 

"Don't waste time following him. I already tried..."

 

The kung fu master turned back towards the voice to see a disappointed Po looking at her.

 

"Can you tell me what happened?" She impatiently asked, eager to know and do something.

 

The panda stayed silent for a while, then glanced over his father's restaurant. "She will eventually tell you everything," Po sighed, "Go and get her. She won't leave unless someone picks her up."

 

Viper raised her head and stared at the defeated panda. His expression was able to tell her so many things that she didn't even need to ask for more. She slithered past him and went down the stairs as fast as possible.

 

"I hope you'll be luckier than me..."

 

\-----------------------------------

Viper was now determined to know everything and there was nothing she could do to escape from her. Po's fathers were arguing right outside the restaurant's entrance. She had a vague idea of what their problem was and the reason why, but there were more pressing matters to attend to. She slithered past them after giving them a quick "Good afternoon, I'm here for her", and then she went for that very table where her target hadn’t moved from for hours.

 

"...Did they send you here?" Emily said, with an annoyed tone.

 

"No, I sent myself." The serpent responded as if she was already scolding her.

 

"...I see." Emily, who was laying her body on the table again with that depressed attitude, now moved only her body in the opposite direction, hoping she would just disappear like everyone else.

 

Viper pushed the table away, forcing her to stay still on the chair, otherwise she would have fallen to the ground.

 

"Don't make me drag you all the way back to the palace," the snake threatened, "I did it once and I'll do it again."

 

The fox wasn't in the best mood to oppose to her. She rolled her eyes and stood up, "I don't need a mom."

 

"You're causing troubles for Po's fathers. They need to work in here and you're occupying a place that a customer was going to use. Now apologize to them and let's head back."

 

Emily knew she had to, but her pride was holding her back. "I'm sorry," she quickly said when she walked near them, as if apologizing was such a bother.

 

"Emily!" Viper wrapped her tail around her arm, stopping her. "Why are you acting like this? This isn't you. What's wrong?"

 

“How can you say that? You don’t know me at all.”

“I saw Fulvio on my way to get here.”

The girl’s instantly eyes widened as she looked at her, “How is he?”

“We didn’t talk. He just ran past me, very upset.”

“Did you see Rebecca too?”

“She’s the one who told me where you were. What did you do to them? She was upset as well…”

“I can’t go back to the palace, Viper.”

“What? Don’t be stupid. Is it because you can’t stand to be around them after…whatever you guys did?”

“Would you? I just need some time for myself, okay? Find me a solution and I swear I’ll tell you everything. I seriously need to rest somewhere.”

“Promise.”

“Yeah, alright. I promise. Now please end my suffering.”


	21. Blinded. Chapter 2, P8

"This is not what I was thinking," the girl sighed as Viper brought her back to the palace, abruptly stopping in front of Leo’s hut instead of her own.

"Oh c'mon, don't be like that. I'm sure this is a better place for you right now. Were you thinking of leaving the palace?" She cheerfully replied with a warm smile, then knocked on the door of Leo's hut with her tail.

"Who's there?" The human on the inside asked. He sounded busy.

"I'm back! I brought Emily," the serpent greeted, sliding the door open.

"Oh, I see. Please come inside; I need some he  
lp from one of us..." Leo addressed the scroll he was holding which was most likely another theory of his.

"That's great..." the fox sarcastically commented, walking inside.

\-----------------------

After his training ended, the cheetah didn't really know what to do. Extremely bored, he tried to peek into Rebecca's stuff, but Viper defended that scroll as if it were a small child she had to protect no matter what. He laid himself against one of the columns outside the palace, noticing the the place where Monkey had scolded him the first time they argued.

"That's where we started..." the simian stated, jumping down from the palace's roof to land next to him.

"I wasn't thinking about it," Mark coldly opposed, crossing his arms.

"I know you were. Don't lie to me," Monkey smirked, handing over an apple.

The cheetah looked at it, taking it from his hand reluctantly. "Thanks..."

"Shifu said Crane kicked your butt."

Mark just bit into the apple before spitting it out at his friend's taunt. "THAT'S A LIE!"

"He didn't really say that," Monkey laughed, enjoying the human's reaction, "I just said what I understood."

"Crane has a crush on Rebecca..." He trailed off, looking away as if he wanted to hide his emotions on the matter.

"Really?! That's a surprise..," the simian exclaimed, thinking about another love interest of his.

"Is that even possible? I heard about couples staying together even if countries were separating them, but we're talking about two worlds and two species who shouldn't have met in the first place." 

"Don't ask me. I don't know anything about these things." Monkey narrowed his eyes and walked closer towards him, “But I know something. You have a crush on her too."

Mark bit into the apple to hide his blush, but it didn’t work as he thought. It was the fruit that hid among the cheetah’s furry cheeks, “Who told you..?”

"The ones who saw you and Rebecca hanging out like a couple at Seawe. Holding each other's paw...wing," Monkey joked again and his laughter grew louder as the human's reaction got worse.

As the situation calmed down the human glanced over to him and, with a serious tone he never used before, asked, “Monkey, can I ask you a favor?" The cheetah waited until he saw his friend nod, "I don't think it will end well."

"Crane's a good guy. Don't say that. I'm sure he won't touch you anymore." A warm smile appeared on his face.

Mark continued, ignoring what Monkey just said, "I'd like you to step aside if that happens."

"I can't do that. Crane's a kung-fu master with more than fifteen years of experience!” 

"Monkey, please. I need to," the human begged, showing an odd emotion.

"You won't stand a chance! You're not like Emily who awoke those chi powers..." The annoyed simian explained. The fact that someone like her, who didn’t know anything about kung-fu, could use chi out of the blue, was unfair.

"I don't care..." Mark remarked with determination.

"What about your beliefs then? You could die, not that Crane would go that far, but...your survival thingy?" The ape hoped to change his mind once again by facing him with the truth until the human gave up.

"That's the reason why I have to. In my entire life I've never once felt alive. When I trained with Simon and he landed a hit on me, I discovered something new; something I had forgotten a long time ago..."

“How hard did Simon hit your head?” Monkey mocked, but deep down he saw something in Mark completely different. He changed so fast, yet he couldn’t just…let him indirectly kill himself.

"This is not the time to be joking around..."

"I'm not joking. You're being reckless here! I understand your desire to change and I respect that, but-"

"I'm glad you wish to know more about yourself no matter the price. I'll be honored to support your choice, young warrior."

Shifu walked in, interrupting their conversation. He eavesdropped the entire thing, but the red panda didn’t plan to interfere until he heard Mark’s desire.

"Master are you sure about this? He could get himself hurt...or worse," The kung fu master pleaded hopelessly, trying to oppose a choice that wasn’t going to be changed.

"We all have a path to walk to discover who we truly are. As I said to a certain panda in another occasion, ‘you must set yourself to fail if you wish to grow as a person.’" The old master stated, portraying his wisdom again, “Please do if you think it is the right decision. I want you to pursue it until the end.”

\-----------------

Po was running out of ideas. The feeling of being useless and totally unnecessary was something he had forgotten a long time ago when working with his adoptive father. He couldn't do anything but wait.

"Po. You look teary. Did something happen?" Tigress asked the panda who had just reached his favorite place.

Said panda, overwhelmed by his thoughts, walked towards the Sacred Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. It was the place he liked the most when upset because of the calm vibes which always helped him to gather new strength to stand up and persevere. He didn't notice Tigress though. She was there from the beginning, sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring at the gorgeous landscape. It wasn't just Po's favorite place after all.

"Oh...hey Tigress. Sorry I didn't see you," he replied, sitting next to her. "Things didn't go as I thought they would."

"You messed up, didn't you?"

"I-I didn't! I tried to help everyone out, but they all pushed me away..."

"I can't tell you if that was a bad choice or a good one unless you decide to tell me what happened..."

Po lowered his ears as his face saddened, remembering the tears, the words, their voices and their faces. He couldn't bring himself to talk. Tigress stood up, and the panda slightly turned his face to follow her movements. If she wanted to know, why was she leaving? The feline gently touched the tree. A peach fell off and she took it from the ground before returning and handing it to Po. "Here, this should help you."

Tigress' kind gesture made the Dragon Warrior blush. After the first bite, he slowly explained the situation or what he understood from it.

"And that's all. I failed again when I tried to get inside Simon's hut, where Fulvio hid, then I went here hoping to cool down a little..." Po sighed, swallowing the peach.

"This must be really hard for everyone. You did what you could. Now please don't push yourself and wait..."

"I can't stop thinking about it... I keep saying that if I was going to say something different maybe I could have-"

Tigress hushed him, placing her paw into his. "It's okay. I'm here and I'll try to help you, alright? Just like you helped me. We're friends after all."

Po slowly moved his head closer to her and broke down, embracing the feline happily. 

"Thank you. You’ve always been here to help me and I never got the chance to say how glad I am to have you by my side."

"Actually...I am the one who owes you, Po," Tigress admitted, relaxing into the panda’s hug, "You...truly are the best thing that's happened in my life."

"Tigress, there's something I've always wanted to say, but I never had the courage to do it."

The feline felt weird. Something hard struck her chest,causing her heart to skip a beat. Unsettled, she had to stand up. "Okay, what is it?"

Po glanced over at his distressed friend. "You okay? You don't look so good..."

"Yes, I think I'm fine. Maybe I meditated for too long..." She honestly replied, oblivious to the real reason.

"Do you need something to eat? Maybe you're just-"

"I wanna hear the thing,” Tigress cut him off, eager to discover what he was going to say.

"Oh, yeah...that thing," the bear remarked with hesitation. He couldn't handle the weight of another failure, and Tigress' reaction caused him to doubt himself.

"I'm listening..."

"I...wasn't able to give Fulvio the action figure," Po avoided the question, changing the topic.

"I see," the feline replied, noticing his quick change.

"I guess we'll just wait and see how this thing evolves...right?"

"As I said, I'll think of something. Keep it with you for now." Tigress walked away leaving Po alone, "I'll come back when I have an idea."

\-------------------------

The Pool of Sacred Tears was a place meant for people looking for an answer who needed guidance. Crane instinctively went there, not knowing a better place where he could be alone, to think about the event that had just transpired. The one who attacked Mark wasn’t him, but a monster buried within that took advantage of his thoughts. He didn't understand the reason causing him to behave like that! Everyone had dark thoughts; those that shouldn't be touched and brought to life.

"There you are..." the crocodile greeted, looking at a stationary Crane on top of the mountain. "Um...it's an atmospheric place, I'll give you that," Simon commented, glancing around the new landscape having never been there before.

"Please, leave me alone. I'm seeking for an answer through meditation," the bird replied, staring down at him with a depressed expression.

Simon grinned, "It's been in front of you from the beginning. Are you blind or are you avoiding it on purpose?"

Crane turned away, "I don't know what you're talking about. I can't control myself and I don't know why."

"You should be smarter than that. You know what's going on. You can't keep your true feelings hidden inside."

Crane jumped down and landed right next to him. "I don't like this. I've been able to do it since I was studying Kung-Fu at Lee Da Academy. Why all of a sudden did I go crazy?" He vented, not being able to bottle things up anymore.

"Don't look for an answer you already know, Crane. Just go. He's waiting for you." The crocodile addressed, pointing his claw towards the palace.

Crane stared down. It was hard for him to accept the part of himself he suppressed for such a long time. He raised his wings and flew back to the palace. Simon didn't seem satisfied with the results he obtained. The feeling of Crane not actually acknowledging his dark side bothered him. He seemed more intent to accept it passively. Simon hurried back, curios to know the ending.

\-------------------------

Emily sat on Mark's bed and explained what had happened so far. This time she broke down, tears streaming down her face, once she reached the end. Something she couldn't do before. What right did she have to cry? She was the reason why her friends were suffering right now!

"Hey, it's okay. I'll fix this. I can go and explain what you-" Viper tried to reassure her, but she shook her head while sobbing, so there was nothing she could do.

"You must understand! I thought that if he was going to hate me then it would have been less painful than making him despair later..." Emily sobbed, patting the snake's head with kindness.

"I see. This is such a weird turn of events..." Leo murmured, sitting next to her. "Here, take this and clean yourself." The lion pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.

The girl reluctantly took it and blew everything out. Her eyes widened as soon as it touched her skin. The cloth was so soft and delicate. The fox stared at it, noticing it was handmade with a name sewed on the bottom left corner. "Leopold..."

The boy, shocked, looked at her, "What is it?" He totally forgot about the name on it.

"Is that your name? I thought it was Leonard..." Emily inquired.

For Viper it didn't really matter. Until now she thought Leo was his entire name, so she wasn't as surprised as the fox.

"Yeah...it is, but please, call me Leo." He blushed, while pushing away Emily's attempt to return the used handkerchief.

"You're right, I should wash it first."

"No," He stopped her, grabbing her arm, "You can do it later. You should rest and listen to me now..."

Emily laid on the bed again, while Leo went to pick a scroll out of his mess on the table cluttered with paper and ink.

"I was thinking about our situation for quite a while and I couldn't stop thinking that something was...off."

"We're in another world, surrounded by talking animals…”

From the first moment they arrived, everything was crazy and unnatural. Saying that something was off felt like their situation was actually normal.

“It’s about how we ended up here,” Leo explained, seeing her skeptic reaction. 

“Can we even answer that?” Emily asked, thinking how pointless the discussion was.

“I’d like to do it. It can lead us one step closer to the truth.”

“Fine. What did you discover?” She laid down on the bed, laying her head on the pillow.

“I believe you thought about it since your unfortunate incident and now I’m sure we didn’t leave our world at all.”

“Of course. I had the same idea. When we talked about how we arrived here and nobody was carrying a telephone, wasn’t that weird?” 

“What’s a…telephone?” Viper questioned, slithering next to the fox.

“I already explained what a car is, and I don’t even know if that will create problems. We shouldn’t talk about things that don’t exist in this world yet,” Leo replied. “At first I thought this universe simply removed stuff that could have caused a problem, like a paradox or an error inside the timeline, but it wasn’t right. It’s a cumbersome reason that won’t really work with the elements I have here.”

“Listen, I’d like to keep this conversation going, but I’m not really in the mood for this…”

“I’m almost done, let me finish. I’ll get straight to the point. You’re not dead.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“We can’t be here unless we’re alive inside our world as well.”

“And why is that?!” Emily questioned, the anger in her voice muffled by the pillow.

“Because what has been brought here are our souls. Our bodies are still there, probably on the ground somewhere. Not really sure.”

“There’s no proof that can support such a crazy theory…”

“I’m wearing it right now,” the boy said, pointing at his human clothes.

Emily instantly raised her head to look at him. “You...what? Don’t tell me you’re planning to remove them.”

“UH?! NO!” Leo cried out, scared of what she thought, “These clothes shouldn’t be on me. My latest memory before coming here was about doing some research before an exam and I wasn’t wearing this.”

“Maybe you’re mistaken…” 

“There has been an incident inside my house. A huge chandelier fell off and destroyed the main hall. I was wearing these clothes when it happened and… some glass hit me, ruining my favorite shirt. I had to throw it away since I couldn’t go around with so many holes, yet look at me now. It’s brand new.”

“You could have-”

“Duplicates? No, this shirt is the only type I have. Want to know when it happened? One month before I got dragged here.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would it…”

“I don’t know. There must be a reason… Maybe to leave us a clue?”

“If I’m alive I must be in some sort of coma. I can’t be sure of what happened to me and I don’t want to put his hopes high.”

“You’re carrying a weight not meant for one person. You sure about this?”

“I think I’ll manage, now let me sleep for some days,” she sarcastically commented.

“Wait! You need to eat!” Viper hissed with worry.

“...I think I’ll pass,” the fox slightly raised her paw, then let it fall down.

“We’ll bring something here,” Leo suggested.

“Thanks, Leopold.”

“PLEASE DON’T CALL ME THAT,” the boy yelled, embarrassed.

“Is something wrong? Don’t you like your name?” the serpent looked at him, concerned.

“There’s nothing to talk about, let’s just drop it.” The lion turned away and resumed his writings.

\------------------------------

Crane reached the palace's entrance pretty fast while Simon was still on his way there. He saw Mark, but the bird also noticed Monkey right next to him and Master Shifu not so far from them. The situation made him hesitate and his landing wasn't a steady one, just like the crocodile thought. He didn't even know why he was doing it.

"What do you want? Why are you back?" Mark coldly asked, as if the palace was his territory and Crane wasn't welcomed there.

Monkey glanced towards the cheetah; he didn't like how that sounded.

"Listen, I want to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you."

"Mark, please... Crane's trying to atone for what he did. You can't turn him down like that..." The simian said, supporting his old friend.

"Can't we put this whole thing behind?" Crane insisted.

"I'm not going to accept your apologies."

"What? Why?" Monkey asked, since the bird wasn't doing it.

"Don't you get it? He doesn't really mean it. Crane just wants to end this thing that's annoying him," the cheetah replied, upset.

"That's a lie! You don't know me! How can you say such things?" The bird stared at him, showing again his unstable emotions.

"Mark please don't push this thing any further, I'd like to avoid it..." the simian said, looking at how upset the bird was.

"No, Monkey. This is stupid. Am I forced to accept his apologies just because he asked for it? He doesn't even care about having them or not. What he really wants is Rebecca and I'm standing in his way." The boy struck a fighting pose, knowing what was going to happen.

"You...why? What makes you feel so special? Why were you the one who was chosen? I JUST WANTED SOMEONE TO NOT FEEL ALONE ANYMORE."

Crane literally jumped on him, driven by his rage. He wasn't even using kung-fu! 

"Mark!" Monkey called out, looking at the two rolling around the place.

Mark used his tail to block the wings that were trying to suffocate him and grabbed his beak, freeing himself and throwing Crane away.

"You promised!" He replied, pointing his paw at him.

"Hey Monkey, what's going on? You look stressed." Mantis greeted, climbing on his shoulder, "I heard them screaming. Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yes! Why do you ask me? They are sparring! Can't you see?" The ape wasn't really good at lying under pressure as he pointed at the two warriors who clearly wanted to kill each other.

"Oh, I guess that's fine. I'm going to call Leo. He should watch it. He shut himself in from the very first moment his training ended," the bug explained, jumping down.

"No, no, no wait!" Monkey instantly declined, then moved his paw at him impulsively.

"What is it?" He asked, confused by that weird behavior.

Monkey, even if he wanted to, couldn't do anything to stop this thing and when he realized it a sigh escaped his mouth. "Nothing..." As soon as the bug disappeared inside Leo's hut, the simian turned back to them and crossed his arms. "Please be careful..."

The bird recovered from his impulsive attacks and started to fight again as a real kung-fu master should. It wasn’t a good thing for the cheetah since Crane began to fly. Mark simply stared at the filthy animal using his special advantage.

“Ka-Kaw!” He shouted from the sky, performing Wings of Justice.

Mark crossed his arms and used them as a shield to block it. It seemed like a good amount of wind, so there was nothing to be so afraid of. The draft hit and slightly slid him away. The cheetah admitted that, indeed, it hurt.

“Look at the birdie!” The human laughed, “Flapping his wings, throwing air at me. I’m okay, don’t worry! I’m not feeling hot or anything.”

Mark knew that his opponent was way stronger than him, plus he wasn’t even able to reach him right now. Crane could have just stayed there in the air and abused his technique as a good way to torture him. He hoped to drag him back to the ground with some good old taunts.

“I’ll show you…” said bird murmured, moving his wings even faster. He usually did two of them, but with Mark’s taunting and the hate he felt for him, Crane repeated the attack relentlessly.

The cheetah’s eyes widened as he jumped backwards as many times as needed as another attack came towards him, but as he struggled to dodge each attack, he realized that his plan would fail and he needed to find another way. When his body met one of the columns Shifu’s words rang in his head; just like Crane, he had to use his own advantage.

Mark climbed the column and stopped only when he was high enough to reach Crane by jumping from there. The human was able to catch him, stopping the bird’s momentum by grabbing him by his wings. They fell and the bird made sure he wasn’t going to be the one crushed on the wall. The kung-fu master twisted his body, bringing Mark into his place. Luckily for him, the fall didn’t do any damage, but put the cheetah into a bad position where Crane was able to punch him freely.

“Someone like you…who only thinks about himself. You don’t deserve the things you got,” the bird said, as soon as they landed.

“At least I always say what I think…” Mark coughed, his necklace glowing like it agreed.

The human, still holding on to his wings, gripped them harder, raised his legs and started kicking him. After a few hits the bird struggled free, throwing him away.

Mantis, Leo and Viper arrived to see the ‘sparring match’ while Simon leaned on a wall far away. The serpent, as soon as she saw them, slithered as fast as she could to get to them. She didn’t like what was happening, nor the fact that nobody was interfering to stop them.

“What are you doing?!” She asked, upset, to the ape who stepped in her way.

“Mark wants to do it, please don’t go,” Monkey said to her, stretching his hand to not let her go further. His body and his words said no, but he sounded like he wanted to stop them.

“You don’t understand… Crane won’t be able to handle himself. This is going to be worse than it already is!” She remarked, trying to go past him. The things she and Rebecca discovered about the bite weren’t lies.

“I know he’s acting weird, but…we’re talking about Crane. He’s the one who controls himself the most; only Tigress is better than him at that.” The simian obviously didn’t believe her. Someone so quiet and introverted like him couldn’t just go on a rampage all of a sudden.

Utter chaos of voices rang everywhere. Leo, Mantis, Viper and Monkey arguing to go through while Crane and Mark kept offending each other. Their voices reached Rebecca, who had shut herself inside her hut since she got back to the palace. She was still stuck inside her head with her thoughts, if they weren’t so loud the swan wasn’t going to notice them. The girl’s eyes widened as she stood up and ran towards the window to check on the situation. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw her friends fighting each other.

“Why are you all like this..?” She whispered, laying her head on the wall.

“MARK COULD GET HIMSELF KILLED!” Viper’s voice reached her, “WE HAVE TO STOP CRANE. NOW!”

The swan gasped and instantly ran outside towards the two warriors. Monkey stopped her as well as Viper, who was paralyzed, looking at her. She didn’t want to let her see this.

“Let me go through,” the girl insisted, upset.

“I’m sorry I can-”

Everyone widened their eyes, shocked. Rebecca slapped Monkey without hesitation and stated, “What you’re doing isn’t being a good friend”, then walked past him. The ape followed her with his eyes while cuddling his red cheek.

Crane kicked Mark against the column. It was now clear who was going to win the fight. The bird grabbed the human’s neck with his left foot trying to strangle him. Rebecca flew there and pushed him away with her wings. Free from Crane’s grasp, the cheetah slid and fell on to the ground.

“WHO DID TH-!” the bird yelled, out of his mind, until he saw Rebecca. Instantly, with wide eyes, he muted himself while the swan helped Mark out.

“I did it. Got anything to say?” She looked at him with a disgusted expression.

“Rebecca, listen…this is all a misunderstanding.” Crane stood up and walked towards them.

“Don’t come closer,” she threatened.

Rebecca checked Mark and luckily there weren’t any serious wounds, but there were scratches everywhere. If she hadn't stopped him, something bad would have happened for sure. 

“You okay?”

He coughed again, “I’m fine. Why are you here? I said to not interfere…”

“I can’t stand you guys,” she said, helping him to get up, “This isn’t a choice you can make on your own.” Rebecca brought him to Mantis, Leo and Viper. “Please take care of him now and don’t let him come anywhere close.”

Crane flew towards them, trying to explain and clear himself of any blame, “Rebecca, I need to talk with you.”

“I don’t wanna hear anything from you now and forever,” she said, spreading her wings, “You’re not the person I thought you were. You’re awful.”

The bird went to catch her, causing her to break down, “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

Rebecca soared into the sky and flew away, followed right after by Crane.


	22. Truth Chapter 2 P9

The Jade Palace was built on one of the highest mountains overseeing the entire Valley of Peace. It was so close to the sky that clouds and fog surrounded it on all sides. That’s how Rebecca rid of Crane, flying where nobody could follow her; however, just as the bird lost her, the swan was just as lost, not knowing where she was going or where she would end up.

She slowly landed on the ground, lowering her wings and looking around, but wasn’t able to recognize the area. There was a little cave with a puddle of water inside of it. Upon closer inspection, she found a dragon statue above the water. Her mind figured that should have been a particular, somewhat special place.

“Rebecca? Is that you?” Tigress’ voice reached her from behind. The feline was sitting on the edge of the mountain like she usually did at the Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, slightly turned towards her.

The swan wanted to be alone, to run away, even if it was just for a little while. Tigress’ presence actually ruined the atmosphere that place gave her, but it was no use running away again. At least she didn’t know about her situation nor what had happened so far. The feline invited her to come over.

“What brings you here to the Pool of Sacred Tears?” She asked, moving her right leg over her left.

“The Pool of Sacred Tears?” Rebecca repeated, oblivious of the place’s name and meaning.

“Didn’t they tell you about it?” Tigress questioned, realizing she just might have been lost, exploring the places around the palace.

The swan sat next to her, looked down and shook her head.

“This is the place where our Grand Master gave birth to what we know as kung-fu. It turned into a place where people can meditate and seek answers they can’t find on their own”, Tigress explained, glancing over the cloudy landscape with only a few visible mountains.

“A place to seek answers…” Rebecca repeated. “No wonder I went here…”

“Did something happen?” The feline asked, “I’ve been away for so long. I let my thoughts drive me far from my friends.”

“Tigress…”

“Huh?” She turned towards her.

“Can you…promise me something?”

“Depends on the promise, but I think I should be able to do it.”

“Don’t make any decisions on your own. Please let the others always know what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling, even if that means making them suffer.”

The kung-fu master’s eyes widened upon hearing such a weird and unexpected request. “Did someone make a choice you didn’t agree with?”

“Something like that,” Rebecca agreed. “People are suffering more than they should because of those selfish actions…”

Tigress clearly sensed something was wrong, but it wasn’t just her problem. Something had happened at the palace, yet she instantly blamed herself for not being there when everyone needed assistance.

“I should get going.” The feline stood up, knowing that she needed some time alone to think. “You’ll be okay on your own.” she raised her right paw and pointed it to the west, “Follow my paw; go straight and you’ll be back at the palace. Don’t be scared by the clouds if you can’t see, that is the right direction.”

The swan nodded, “Thanks, Tigress. Please don’t forget. We all have feelings, we just show them differently.”

Still confused about the weird speech she had given her, the feline walked away, the desire to head back and discover the mess that had occurred increasing with each step taken.

On her way back, Crane flew right past Tigress to where the swan was. Seeing his twisted face full of pain and portraying his distress reminded the feline of what Rebecca’s expression. Impulsively, she decided to hide behind a rock and spy on them from afar.

“You found me too fast…” the swan admitted, hearing him land behind her, “Am I asking for too much? I just wish to be alone.”

“I can’t let you go unless you hear me out. You’re thinking of me as a bad person and I won't tolerate it,” Crane insisted, walking closer.

“Selfish,” Rebecca remarked, upset.

“...I’m sorry. Everything went wrong. I couldn’t control my feelings towards you.”

The girl turned to him, widening her eyes. “Me?”

Crane gulped, shivered and slowly pronounced the words that were going to change everything, “I fell in love with you.”

The bird, right after saying them, felt reborn from the ashes like a phoenix. The biggest burden that was devouring his soul instantly disappeared. With the effects of the bite fading fast, his mind was finally cleaned of the doubts and anger. It now brought a new burden: the feeling of guilt, the realization of how terrible and awful his behavior had been the whole time.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…” Crane chanted, falling on the ground as tears invaded his face, streaming down his beak before landing on the ground.

Rebecca was speechless. There was nothing she could have said in front of him. He humiliated himself like that in front of her, “It’s not enough. This won’t save you, even if your apology is sincere. What you did is…disappointing.”

“I know…” The bird started to calm down, wiping his tears away. “I wasn’t hoping for your forgiveness right away. I’ll work hard. I’ll show you. I’ll rebuild what I destroyed, slowly, one step at a time.”

“About the other thing you mentioned…” Rebecca began, looking away, “My heart belongs to someone else, but I think you already knew that.”

Crane nodded, standing up again. “I…just had to tell you. It’s okay. You don’t have to love me back. You saw me as a friend and I saw you differently, besides…I don’t even know what I was thinking,” the bird giggled. “You’re a human and live in another world. You won’t stay here forever!”

Tigress, who saw the entire thing, was taken aback by their speech. “More than a friend…” she breathed out, turning away. She had listened for too long and learned something new. The feline headed back to the palace.

“REBECCA! HEY! WHAT’S WRONG?” Crane shouted, worried.

Tigress’ eyes widened before instinctively running to him, forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to show up, but his voice filled with fear and alarm changed her initial idea.

“CRANE! What’s wron-” She stopped, seeing the unconscious swan wrapped within his wings.

“I-I don’t know!” He mumbled back, “She was smiling when, suddenly, she fell on the ground.”

The feline approached them and touched the swan’s forehead. “It’s hot…”

“I’ll bring her to Mantis.” The bird lowered himself, urging her to grab the human and let him carry them back to the palace.

Tigress agreed and nodded back at him.

\-------------------------------

The five gathered inside Rebecca’s hut upon Tigress’ request. She wasn’t the only patient there. Mark was already being treated by Mantis. The cheetah opened his eyes just to see his friend on the opposite bed with Crane.

“What…did you do to her? Wasn’t I enough?” He asked with a trembling voice.

The bird felt too ashamed to reply.

“It’s not his fault. Rebecca just collapsed in front of him,” Tigress intervened, crossing her arms.

“Leave.”

“It’s not up to you, Mark. I think you should know this by now,” the feline replied.

“It’s okay. I’ll wait outside,” Crane said, making his way through his friends. How could he not obey with the remorse so heavily weighing him down? 

“Fine. I’ll give you an update on their condition later on,” Tigress reassured while the others couldn’t find any words of comfort. They just stood there, following him with their eyes until the door closed behind him.

“It’s just a fever guys. She’s gonna be okay tomorrow,” the bug stated, trying to cheer them all up. “Same thing for the other guy there.” He raised his pincer at Mark, “He’s got some bruises, but mostly he’s just tired. Tomorrow they’ll both be alright.”

“That’s not the problem…” Viper sighed, looking down.

Tigress glanced over at him, thinking there must have been something wrong. “Rebecca has fainted two times in a row when she should have had strengths. There’s something wrong here, Mantis.” 

“I had my theories when she passed out the first time, but with this I can confirm that she caused them herself.”

“What? Can you be more clear?” Monkey asked.

“Being over-stressed can make you weak when in reality, you aren’t,” Mantis explained.

“Does anyone know what’s been troubling her lately?” Tigress turned around to look at her fellow companions, but nobody was able to answer.

“There’s her diary though…” Monkey proposed, remembering what Shifu did.

"No! That's a terrible idea. You can't put your nose into someone else's business like that!” Viper hissed back at him.

 

"Not cool man..." the bug agreed, jumping down to the floor, "She should be the one to open up to us."

 

"Where's Po now?" Tigress asked, staring at them.

 

They exchanged glances with one another knowing they hadn't seen him all day.

 

"I see..." she concluded, figuring he should be where she left him before.

“Please wait a second!” The serpent called out to Tigress. “There’s something everyone should know; it’s about Crane.”

Outside the hut, two humans were waiting with the bird who had just arrived. The first one laid against the little house’s wall, knowing that they would tell him what he had missed so far. The other human that couldn’t restrain himself from hearing about the situation pressed his face against the hut’s window to listen to the kung-fu masters.

The bird, after a few minutes without saying a word, flapped his wings and flew high in the sky, heading nowhere.

“Where is he going?” Leo breathed out, glancing towards Simon without moving his head, “Shouldn’t he stay here?”

“To do what?” the black crocodile replied, looking at Crane disappearing among the clouds, “I warned him and he failed. There’s no point staying here where they can only judge you.”

“I guess with Mark sharing Rebecca’s hut, it’ll be tricky to do anything now…”

“You can always ask to move Mark back in your room where he belongs.”

“That could be also a problem.”

“A problem?”

“Emily’s occupying his bed and I’m not sure when she’s gonna leave it.”

“She’s not hurt or anything, right? I’m not understanding then, but I’m guessing there must be more that I don’t know,” Simon said, letting out a sigh. “Then bring him into my room. Fulvio never used his place since we got here. I’ll tolerate his presence for a while.”

“There’s another problem…”

“You’re kidding me.”

Leo simply thought that, after what had occurred between the two, he would have gotten more or less the same reaction, yet he wasn’t entirely sure and just theorized it. “I’m sure he’ll manage on his own.”

“Humph.” Simon crossed his arms and looked away, “I won’t interfere then.”

“There’s no need to be worried,” Tigress began, exiting the hut after overhearing their conversation. “Crane’s smart. He just needs to get back on the path he lost.”

“I’m not worried,” the crocodile instantly rectified.

“Keep an eye on them. I’m leaving.” The feline smiled at him and walked away.

“It should be the other way around…” the lion uselessly pointed out. “Well, I’m going to give a look inside. Wanna come?”

Simon moved away from the wall and headed back towards his hut. “I have other plans. Send over someone for me later.”

Leo blinked, confused by the weird shift of decision he had. “Okay...sure.”

\----------------

“As I thought, you’re still here,” Tigress said to Po once she reached the Tree of Heavenly Wisdom; the place she had left the bear just a few hours ago.

The panda grinned at her. “I won’t move until I find a way to bring my friends together again!” His enthusiasm suddenly went away, replaced by sadness as he stared down at the cloudy landscape that didn’t allow anyone to see the bottom.

“Actually I have something mind, but I need your help.” The feline lent her paw towards him, waiting for him to accept it.

“What do you need?” 

“You’re a teacher now, correct?” She continued, pushing her paw further, “So please teach me how you create your…action figures.”

Po blushed as he took Tigress’ paw and stood up. “O-Okay, I’ll do my best.”

\----------------

While Tigress explained what she had in mind, Po prepared a table inside his dorm with the tools they were going to use.

The panda always had a messy room because everything worth keeping, every mission he completed, was connected to an item or souvenir, making his place stuffed with all kinds of things.

The bear pushed everything off the table to make some space and opened the only clean and tidy thing in the entire room, his drawer where he kept his tools, action figures (even the failures) and the elements to make new ones.

"Can I have a short version?" Po asked, placing two chairs near the table. "I was so focused on my preparations that I didn't-"

 

Tigress hushed him and pushed the panda onto the chair. "I'll tell you after we finish, okay?" She sat next to him and grabbed a knife.

 

"Who's gonna be the subject?" He enthusiastically inquired, imagining every possible outcome.

The feline reached behind Po's back, took the statue he made of Fulvio, and placed it on the table. "For another partner."

 

The bear quickly glanced several times from her to the action figure. "You mean... Emily?"

 

"I'll be blunt; I don't perfectly remember her. Do you?"

 

"Ah, that's fine. I've got more logs to work with if you make a mistake,” he reassured her, pointing out the fact that he isn't perfect either.

 

Time passed by very fast as they worked together on the perfect replica of a human version of Emily. Every time Tigress made a mistake using the knife, Po placed his paw onto hers and moved it together, trying to teach her how to do it correctly. The panda had to sit on her chair and ask her to sit on him to teach as perfect as possible. The bear embraced the feline with his big arms as she let him move her arms around.

“I believe I now understand why you like this hobby so much…” She commented, putting the almost completed action figure next to the finished one.

“...It wasn’t going to be as much fun as it normally would without you,” Po admitted, turning red.

“Open your ears now, this is important. Another thing happened while you were busy, and you have to know.”

Tigress stood up and moved away from him, needing to look him in the eyes while explaining the actual situation.

“Really?!” Po gaped upon hearing the matter she kept to herself.

“Yes,” Tigress nodded. “If you want to do something, I won’t stop you. Just let me know what it is.”

“Can I trust you on the coloring?” The panda asked, pointing at the blank unfinished statue.

“You mean the doll? Yes, I can do it on my own.”

The bear felt the urge to correct her, opening his mouth to say, “It’s not a doll,” but he ignored it in the end. “Forget it. Thanks.” Po stood up and slid the door open.

“Po!” The feline called out, eager to know what he was planning.

“I do listen to you, Tigress. I won’t do anything without you. I’m just going to buy some stuff for tonight. I have an idea for you this time.” He smiled, turned away and ran outside.


	23. Bitter taste Chapter 2, End

Shifu stepped away, deciding not to interfere by any means. As master of the Jade Palace it’s his duty to let his students grow and make their own choices, at least when it comes to personal matters. The red panda always believed in them from the very first moment; good choices can be helpful, but mistakes are what helped us to learn and develop. He knew that very well.

“Master…” A voice called from behind him. He was in the middle of one of his many meditation sessions Shifu used mostly to help him think. He was just like them in an aspect; questions, doubts and theories all swarmed within his head.

“What is it, Monkey? Come closer,” he greeted, keeping his composure. Only his ears twitched as they captured the sounds.

Monkey, on the other hand, didn’t have to worry about those things. Tigress, Po and even Viper did everything. He couldn’t understand why, after listening and obeying their requests, felt like he had done something wrong? Mark wanted to fight and Shifu allowed it. He tried to argue somehow, but it didn’t help. Rebecca’s gesture and words touched him more than it should have. She didn’t know anything. Monkey didn’t just stand there and let things move on their own. He tried, yet an awful feeling tormented him, a feeling he wasn’t able to shake off.

“I’d like to ask you something if I’m not disturbing your meditation…”

“Are you doubting your own choices?” The eldest one asked, knowing what was happening in his mind.

“I-I don’t understand. You said it was okay for them to fight. I didn’t agree, yet I let him do it. On the other hand, Rebecca and the others opposed so much that she-”

“Monkey,” Shifu intervened, trying to calm his overwhelming thoughts, “We all are different. We have different opinions and choices, but what about you? Isn’t it time to start letting them be heard?”

The simian’s eyes widened, wanting to turn a blind eye from the truth he knew all too well, and instantly attempting to argue. “It’ll be pointless!”

“Why do you feel bad then? Why are you here seeking answers? You listened to me as your master and I respect that. This doesn’t mean you have to go against your own beliefs.”

“It wasn’t my choice!” The ape vehemently denied, raising his voice before lowering it, thinking it may have been disrespectful. “I simply obeyed...”

“That’s right; that’s what you did.”

“Then why do I feel…regret?” Monkey asked, clenching his fists.

“Is it so hard to understand on your own?”

“If it wasn’t I wouldn't have come here in the first place to ask!”

“If you’re concerned about Mark’s health, you have every right to step up and stop him. It wasn’t a mission where you had to listen to everyone’s opinion and obey. It was a personal matter that slipped out of our paws. It’s time you start sharing your ideas with the others. You are very disciplined, Monkey. When it comes to being serious you’re always reliable, even if I don’t understand your humor.”

“Master, I thank you for your kind words. I’m honored. I’ll leave you to your meditation and think on my own now. You've showed me the way.” Monkey bowed and left the temple, leaving behind a nostalgic sensei.

The speech reminded him of the times when Oogway, with his usual chillness, explained everything to him, putting his confused thoughts to sleep and lightening the path he lost in the darkness his mind brought upon him.

“I hope you’re proud of me, Master.”

\-----------------------------------------

Monkey wanted to head back into his dorm, but Shifu’s words echoed in his mind. Something urged him to start right away, as if he could still do something to help fix this messed up situation. The kung fu master blinked, surprised upon realizing that his body unconsciously had brought him where the humans were resting. He peeked inside and saw only Viper. She was always the nicest one. She could stay there all day just to be sure about their safety. His mind went back-and-forth from Viper to Rebecca, and then to Mark before landing on Crane. They all needed to talk things out, but in this particular setting it would be impossible for them to freely communicate.

Monkey knocked on the door to lure Viper’s attention. As the serpent turned her head towards the sound, the simian motioned her to come outside with his left hand.

“What do you need?” She asked, closing the door behind her.

“I’d like to move Mark into my room.”

“For what reason? This is their hut, kinda…” Viper replied, thinking about Emily occupying the cheetah’s real place.

“They shouldn’t stay together while they’re recovering…”

“Did Tigress say so?”

“No, I said so. Does it matter? Are you still worried about Crane’s sudden rampage? Is that why you’re so concerned?” He asked, slightly upset upon indirectly hearing the same truth Shifu had spoke of.

“Monkey, I told you. I’m not sure if the poison completely wore off. I’m just making sure everyone is safe. Things went out of control and-”

“I still want to believe in him and his goodwill. That’s what I should have done from the start! I hesitated and let the others guide me too much. I’m sure that he will eventually talk with both of them and apologize. Both you and I know him. I also know that he won’t be able to do it until they’re together. He can barely face us, the people he stayed with for ten years now. I’m sure you wish to help everyone, and that’s why you have to trust me.”

Monkey’s speech actually surprised her. He had never acted so courageous or reflective on his own; showing more confidence and trust in his teammates than even her! Viper felt ashamed. She completely forgot that she wasn’t alone, that there are people she can always trust.

“I’m glad you said that. I was losing sight of what was important and of what they really needed.” The serpent was carrying another weight her friend didn’t know about. His trust and determination relieved her a little.

“I felt the same, trust me. This time it’ll be completely different. They just need time.” The ape slid the door open and walked inside.

“If you see Mantis, please tell him to come here and take my place. I don't think this is the place where I should be. It’s not necessary anymore.”

Viper slithered away as soon as Monkey nodded and the ape brought Mark away with the bed to avoid waking him up.

\-------------------------------------------

Leo’s intuition was right. 

When Simon headed back to his hut, on the right side of the room Fulvio was lying on the bed nobody ever used. The crocodile glanced over at him, walked towards his side and acted as usual, like the panda wasn’t there at all and he was still alone.

“Who hurt your feelings this time?” The boy mockingly asked, sitting on the bed.

Fulvio was facing the wall and Simon couldn’t see his face for a possible reaction. The panda was wrapped around his pillow and didn’t say anything, but he changed his position very often. The crocodile was sure he was listening to what he had to say even if he didn’t reply.

“You won’t achieve anything doing that,” Simon huffed, propping one leg over the other.

“Can you leave? It’s too early to go to sleep and in a few hours you’ll have dinner.”

“Sorry to ruin your hopes, but this is my room,” he sarcastically commented lying down on his bed and placing his arms behind his head. “If you really wish to be alone go somewhere else. Po’s room should be empty now, right? I’m sure he isn’t sleeping right now.”

“I don’t want to hear any name related to that matter. Let me sleep.”

Simon guessed right. Fulvio’s decision to leave his previous bedroom was connected to a quarrel with Po, but he didn’t know more. His behavior didn’t allow him to understand on his own. The panda’s words seemed empty, like he just gave up on everything.

“I envy you.”

“Hm?” The crocodile’s head moved towards his voice, eager to hear more.

“You always look so strong, like nothing can touch you.”

“You’re wrong. I’m not strong. This is just how I want everyone to perceive me.” Simon rose, placing his claw under his snout, “I can’t really explain. Everything’s messy in my head. I just…feel that my fighting abilities don’t come from my mere pleasure to learn how to fight. I wanted everyone to be afraid of me like I was afraid of them.” The reptile’s eyes widened. The last phrase didn’t come intentionally. Afraid of who? Why did he have to fight? What’s missing in his memories?

 

Fulvio, eyes still wet, also stood up from his bed as well to face him. “That’s awful. I can’t imagine living without knowing who I am, what I did, or who my friends are. What if you were different and never knew? I don’t want to think about it.”

“It’s pointless to ask those questions unless you wish to intentionally put yourself down. It doesn’t matter. My conscious self may not remember, but my body and what’s inside of me will always remember, therefore making you act like the real you. I’m not afraid of being without them. I’m more worried about what I’ll remember when I finally get them back.”

“...I’m hungry.”

“Fine. I’ll bring you something to eat even if you don’t really deserve it. We already talked once. How can you make the same mistake twice? People never learn…” Simon grunted and walked away.

“I’m sorry for being such a nuisance…”

“I wonder what turned you like this. One day, I’d like to hear you out.”

\--------------------------

“This may take a few hours. We may never find the scroll we’re looking for.”

Leo, after Mantis explained what the serpent kept hidden from everyone, dragged the bug along and headed to the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu.

“Don’t worry. I already checked half of this library. We won’t take that much, plus I need to know more. You don't understand how interesting this is! A poison that doesn’t kill you, but forces you to act without our mental restrains. That’s amazing!” The scholar excitedly exclaimed, moving scroll after scroll away after giving them a quick glance.

Leo was on the opposite side of the room and stated that he had already checked half of it. Mantis, irritated, stopped his research. “Are you kidding me? When were you going to tell me that you already looked in the section I’m digging in?!”

The lion turned towards him, surprised. “Well, yeah. I think I read almost every scroll in that section, but who knows? I may have skipped something. That's why I wanted another guy looking into it beside me.”

Mantis sighed and jumped on his shoulder. “I need a minute, otherwise you’ll seriously make me go insane.”

“Oh come on, don’t be upset. You volunteered to help me out,” Leo said, resuming his research.

“How can I not be upset? You should’ve told me sooner and not randomly mentioned it fifteen minutes later!”

Leo didn’t reply and started to read the latest scroll he picked up. A satisfied grin appeared on his face. “Good news, my little friend. I have found the chosen one.”

“No, wait. Don’t read it now,” Mantis said as soon as he saw the lion unrolling the scroll upon the shelf. “I’d like to get something to eat first. Let’s read it in the kitchen’s pantry, okay?”

The boy instantly agreed, noticing that the scroll was bigger than average. The table he was using was small, too. He needed something bigger to completely unroll the piece and entirely glance it over. “I was actually going to suggest finding a place with bigger furniture. I feel unlucky. I could have read about it way earlier and avoided everything, but this seems stuffed with valuable information.”

“I won’t exhort you to read every scroll in this room because I know you’re thinking about it.” Mantis deadpanned, staring at him while crossing his pincers.

The lion chuckled as he walked towards the kitchen’s temple, “I guess that’s something I can’t control.”

“...I will read everything though,” he stated seriously.

\-------------------------

Milk and ginger are uncommon ingredients. Thanks to the importance of Jade Palace, the Valley of Peace had the opportunity to trade with villages far outside of China. Po set his eyes on them to recreate a sweet dessert for his friends. Something that could help everyone get closer once again. What better solution is there than a very special recipe with ingredients from other regions?

The panda left a bowl full of milk on the fire, bringing it to a boil. In the meantime, he grinded the ginger and stirred it on another plate until it turned into some sort of chewy substance.

Po stared at the milk with a doubtful expression. The recipe didn’t say how hot it must’ve been. Though he hated to waste stuff (especially if it was valuable), he needed to follow his guts and try anyway. He hoped to not mess it up. 

“Po! Where have you been?!” Mantis shouted, landing next to plate of ginger on the table. “Do you have any idea what happened today?”

The panda’s ears instantly raised. He was so focused on his recipe that Mantis’ voice scared him, carelessly placing his paw on the container when he turned towards the bug. “HOT! HOT! HOT!” He chanted, placing his burned paw inside a water bottle Po brought along before.

Leo peeked inside the bowl to see what was he doing. “I’m not a chef, but…I believe that you should remove it, otherwise this milk is gonna be unusable.”

The panda dried off his wet paw, wore a glove and moved it away from the fire. “I hope this is the right timing.”

“What are you doing? Why are you using milk without asking permission? You know there aren’t many cows in the village and we shouldn’t waste it like that,” Mantis complained, while Po mixed it with the ginger.

“Ginger too? Does anyone know about this?”

The bug’s question didn’t receive any answer from Po, who focused and was concerned on obtaining a positive result.

“Now that I think about it. I didn’t know you could actually consume food that comes from other people,” the lion hummed, curios to know their alimentary habits. “Do you guys eat everything? I thought you only consumed vegetables and fruits due to your will to pursue a peaceful live with every other species.” Leo’s always been eager to know every possible thing. Even if he was holding the scroll about Crane’s poison, it was easy to switch from one topic to another if the discussion was worth listening to.

“In the past people used to eat everything...no joke. They wanted to eat people’s flesh and thank god I wasn’t alive in that period.”

“Oh, I see. I wanted to ask about it, but…felt awkward. I did see you guys eating eggs for breakfast, I should’ve figured it out.”

“I DID IT!” Po’s scream broke their conversation, luring their attention to him. The two animals turned towards him and, when they got close enough to look at it, he moved away.

The bug stared at the cup filled with what looked like normal milk. “I…don’t get it. What did you do?”

The lion walked closer to the cup as Po started to explain what it was, but he wasn’t listening. He took the little spoon next to it and tapped it. As it touched the surface, the human noticed it wasn’t liquid anymore. Its shape and reaction reminded him of pudding.

“Wait, it’s too soon. Give it a moment to chill,” Po exclaimed, worried that he might ruin an almost perfect work.

“How curious…” Leo commented while examining the dessert, surprised to see such a high level recipe nicely done with such rudimental equipment.

While the lion was distracted by the pudding the bug was arguing with Po about his careless choice to use them, “You know that Jade Palace has a reputation to defend. Masters from other palaces come in here often and we need them to make a good impression!”

“Oh, come on, Mantis. What we give them doesn’t matter now that everyone needs something special to fix the holes in their hearts…” Po replied, trying to use some sort of metaphor to get through to him.

“Po, you’re the only one who works that way.” Mantis remarked, lowering his eyelids.

“I’m sure you’ll love it, just give it a few minutes. Trust me I got this,” the optimistic character insisted, then looked around to find something to buy some time, but inside there was nothing but food. “So, uh…what brings you here?”

The lion instantly reacted to that, remembering the scroll he shamelessly forgot when Po showed them his solid milk. “OH, RIGHT THE SCROLL.”

“What’s that?” The bear asked, watching him unroll the huge scroll upon the furniture.

“Just a little thing I’d like to read.”

“That’s not what I would call ‘little’,” the panda remarked, pointing at it with his finger.

 

Mantis jumped on his shoulder and laughed at him. “You don’t know anything. For him this is little.”

 

Leo couldn’t resist and, instead of reading only the one that mattered, he took it slow, reading everything in order. Luckily for Mantis it wasn’t a book, therefore he didn’t need to scold the lion for his terrible habit. The bug kept unrolling the scroll until he found the poison that mostly resembled Crane’s.

“It must be this one,” he decided, pointing at the image of a weird grey fish with spikes.

“It’s a stonefish,” Po added, reading the name above the drawing.

“Leo…” Mantis said, bothered by his behavior.

“Did you know that the Many-banded krait is one of the most dangerous serpents?” The lion repeated, sharing both his new knowledge, and his happiness with them.

“Leo, could you please stay with us? You can read it later…”

“Okay, Okay. Just hear this thing. People extract his venom to make A TRUTH SERUM! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?”

“A TRUTH SERUM? THAT’S AWESOME I WANT ONE TO TRY IT! EVEN ON ME IF THAT’S OKAY. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.” Po shouted, squishing his cheeks.

“I KNOW, RIGHT? THIS SCROLL IS A MUST READ.” 

“GUYS!”

“Alright, alright. I’m coming. Where is it?” The lion replied, annoyed.

Mantis simply glared at them and pointed where the stonefish diagram was. Po came closer to the human and whispered into his ears, “He always does that. Ruins everything he doesn’t like…”

Leo simply smiled, trying not to upset Mantis even more, “Let’s see…”

The scroll accurately described that stonefishes usually dislike company, yet they can’t live alone. That’s why the cities’ perimeters are always the best place where you could have met one.

Po and Leo couldn’t confirm it. During that time they were at the palace. They turned towards Mantis to hear his version.

“Rebecca broke Crane’s hat when we arrived. He went away to look for something to fix it. That’s the only moment where he could have found that stonefish, but this doesn’t really matter. We must read about the poison, not about their habits!”

The bug skipped a few pieces and pointed out where the scroll started to talk about the poison hidden inside his spikes. It’s called Unchained Will. A person under the effects of this powerful thing loses the ability to act differently from what he really wishes to be. The venom wears off on its own after a few days or when he confesses the thought he considers secret; the one nobody should ever know about.

“Oh…that’s sick,” Mantis groaned, imagining how it felt like, “And it’s Crane we’re talking about…”

“Look at the bright side: the effects are gone. He confessed,” the bear reminded them, rolling the scroll back together.

“Well…technically we were hoping to discover the opposite,” Leo sighed, “If what Crane did wasn’t the result of his thoughts we could have fixed the situation easier and faster, but what happened was totally possible because he really thought those things…” 

“Don’t worry. There’s my dessert. It will fix everything and our bond will grow even stronger than before!” Po proudly commented as he checked upon the now set ginger milk curd.

“Don’t make me repeat twice, Po,” Mantis muttered, completely distrusting his choice.

Leo used his telekinesis to move the cup towards him and, while the bug blabbered about the same things, he picked up the spoon and tasted a small pieces. His eyes widened as soon as the gummy milk touched his tongue.

“Take Tigress for example. Will you ever help her out using food? You perfectly know that she’s-” 

The lion walked between them, handing over the pudding to his friend, “Try it.”

Po couldn’t resist the fantastic smell that thing emanated, snatching the spoon from Leo’s paw and taking a bite.

“I can’t believe it! This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!”

The lion followed the bear’s action and did the same. He wanted to savor it perfectly! “The milk perfectly blends with the ginger making a perfect, yet simple, combination. Such a delightful experience.”

“This is even better than what I expected… Wow! Take this away from me or I could literally go crazy,” the panda proudly commented after another test taste.

“Okay, give me that.” Mantis snatched the spoon and cup from them. “As if some boiled milk could actually-” His antenna instantly straightened when he tasted the content. “How is this possible? You just mixed ginger and milk together and you obtained something extraordinary, tasty, and delicious…”

“It’s the juice inside the ginger,” the panda explained.

“Oh, yeah. I read somewhere that inside the ginger there’s an element that works as some sort of glue.” Leo remembered, hearing Po’s words.

“I’d be surprised the day you won’t know something…” Mantis sarcastically commented.

\-------

Night fell upon the palace, even if it felt way darker than it usually was. When negative feelings and remorse had control over people’s heart, everything was black. Crane soon realized he was the one who caused this; the one who generated these shadows that are now eating away at everyone’s mind, himself included. 

“Time always goes slower when we’re in a bad situation…” He sighed, commenting out loud as he stared at the moon in the sky.

The bird didn’t really flee with a destination in mind. He simply ran off and landed on the first mountain he found, so long as he was alone. Crane returned a few hours later when he understood what he deserved. What everyone deserved.

“...” He held his breath, scared to meet Mark. He wasn’t in the best mindset to deal with him, yet he had to see Rebecca. Being in the same room was actually the biggest obstacle he had to overcome. The bird peeked through the window and surprisingly there was nobody inside; not even the cheetah. It was weird and unexpected, but he just needed a few minutes, nothing more.

“Hey, how are you?” Crane asked her, as she was awake and able to reply to him. “I hope you’re doing better now. I will never forgive myself if something happens to you, that’s why I want to do what’s best for you and for everyone…”

The bird raised his hat with his leg, grabbed it and lowered it. “I’m a threat. Being here will put everyone in danger. That’s why I decided to leave.”

He smiled as he caressed her with his wing. “Here, I want to give you something to remember me by. You deserve to wear this straw hat more than me.”

The swan’s closed eyes trembled when Crane placed his hat upon her head. The bird instantly pulled his wing back, surprised by her sudden reaction.

“No…” She whispered, collecting the energy she got from those hours of rest. “Don’t…”

The bird looked down, ashamed. Rebecca wasn’t even able to talk, yet she pushed herself to do so. Her snout slightly shook as she tried to remark with her head.

“Goodbye, Rebecca.” The bird turned back, slid the door open and headed outside until a weird blue light, coming from the swan forced him to look behind.

The swan was now standing, heavily panting. The stone just healed her, not completely, but enough to stand. “This is not the right decision. You can’t leave.”

“I’m sorry that now I’ll earn more disapproval from you, but I can’t act differently…”

Rebecca grabbed his wing and pulled him back, even if that costed her a lot of energy. Crane easily struggled free, but inadvertently threw her on the ground.

The bird wanted to help her stand up, to put her back to sleep, but in that moment, where she was clearly pushing herself out of her own limits, trying so hard to get up once again, that’s when he understood he had to leave. If he was going to help her out Rebecca wouldn’t let him go anymore.

“Take care,” Crane said, as he headed outside and flew away.

“Crane…” She breathed out, failing to stand. Her face raised towards the sky, watching him disappear into the night. “No… I don’t want to carry more mistakes… I don’t…” Rebecca passed out onto the floor, exhausted by the rush of feelings.

\-----

Dinner never felt so different since Po’s arrival. They used to happily chat together, to tell stories and to laugh about someone’s daily activities and fails. That night, as the kung fu master and the human gathered, an utter silence ruled over them and nobody dared to say something that might have worsened the situation. They simply ate their food and avoided any eye contact, planning to leave as soon as possible.

“Wait, don’t leave!” Po shouted, worried that they wouldn’t even give him the chance to release his special weapon.

“We really shouldn’t stay together for now, besides I have to bring dinner to the humans who couldn’t be here tonight with us,” Viper stated, pushing to leave.

“What is it? If you have something to say or do, just make it quick,” the crocodile demanded, already standing up from his seat.

“Since we all had a rough day, I thought it could have been great to prepare something special to cheer us up,” Po explained, bringing in a platter with several cups of ginger milk crud placed on it.

“That’s really sweet, Po, but I barely ate the noodles. I’m not really in the mood for food…” The serpent replied, shaking her head.

“I understand how you feel, but trust me. This is legitimately good! Even one taste will make me satisfied!” The panda insisted, sliding the cup right next to her, then to everyone.

“Okay, I’ll do it, but let me bring something to them first. That’s the only thing I’m asking you.” The kung fu master wrapped around some food and slithered outside the temple.

“I’ll go help her. We have another thing going on,” Tigress pointed out at something hidden inside her clothes.

“Oh, nice! I’m glad you finished it,” Po replied, recognizing the things she had inside her vest.

“What are you two talking about?” Monkey asked, already eating the pudding. “This is really good by the way. Can’t believe you were able to cook something like this!”

“N-Nothing!” The panda shook his paws in denial, but his awkward laugh made everyone more suspicious.

The ape enjoyed the dessert so much that everyone straight up ignored Po’s weird reaction and tried the pudding to understand if he was actually telling the truth or just pretending it to lift everyone’s spirits.

“What’s inside this thing?” Simon curiously asked, sniffing the thing, “I can’t smell anything but milk…”

The atmosphere slowly lightened up. Positive reactions, smiles and compliments helped to smooth the frozen situation they were in. They quickly turned back to their common selves and that dinner was now the usual one they had every night, until bad news broke the atmosphere creating something worse than before.

“Crane’s gone…” Viper said, slithering back inside the dining hall.

“We know that, remember when he flew away after picking up Mark and Rebecca?” Monkey argued, not understand what she really meant and why she was even more upset than before.

“No, he’s gone for good this time. That’s what Rebecca said…”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Some of them directly ran towards the hut as if they could still stop something that had already happened. Some of them went to Viper and asked for more info. Monkey instead froze in place. He had the feeling that this happened because of him, because he allowed them to talk, even if Viper didn’t confirm it.

“You can’t be serious, I mean, it must be some sort of misunderstanding. He will eventually return. We know Crane, he wouldn’t make such an impulsive choice, right?” Po intervened, looking at her.

“...I don’t know what to think anymore.”


End file.
